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Tri-County Sentry
Friday
FEBRUARY 7, 2014
Celebrating Black History Month
The few inventors that we have selected represents just a brief glimpse into the rich tradition of African-American innovation.
Dr. Shirley Jackson (1946 - ) Caller ID and Call Waiting Her inventions include developments in the portable fax, touch tone telephone, solar cell, and the fiber optic cables used to provide clarity in overseas telephone calls.
Janet Emerson Bashen (1976 - ) EEO Compliance Software Ms. Bashen became the first African American female to hold a patent for a software invention. The patented software, LinkLine, is a web-based application for EEO claims intake and tracking claims.
Patricia Bath (1942 - ) Cataract Laserphaco Probe She received her first patent, becoming the first African American female doctor to patent a medical invention. A method for removing cataract lenses that transformed eye surgery by using a laser device.
Bessie Blount (1914 - 2009) A device that allowed amputees to feed themselves Her electrical device allows a tube to deliver one mouthful of food at a time to a patient in a wheelchair or in a bed whenever they bite down on the tube.
George Alcorn (1940 - ) Inventor of the Imaging X-ray Spectrometer He has a master's degree in nuclear physics and a Ph.D in atomic and molecular physics. He created over 20 different inventions and is best known for his innovation of the imaging x-ray spectrometer.
Otis Boykin (1920 - 1982) Invented an improved electrical resistor He is known for a variety of devices that utilize components made by Boykin – including computers, radios and TV sets. Boykin's never made it to graduation because he couldn't afford tuition.
Kenneth J. Dunkley (1939 - ) 3-D Viewing Glasses and Holography He is best known for inventing Three Dimensional Viewing Glasses (3-DVG) – his patented invention that displays 3-D effects from regular 2-D photos without any type of lenses, mirrors or optical elements.
George Washington Carver (1864 - 1943) Inventor of Over 300 Peanut Productton His inventions included the discovery of over 300 different uses for peanuts – such as making cooking oil, axle grease and printer's ink. He was never interested in money.
Dr. Charles Richard Drew (1904-1950) He was a surgeon who started the idea of a blood bank and a system for the long term preservation of blood plasma (he found that plasma kept longer than whole blood). His ideas revolutionized the medical profession.
Lonnie G. Johnson (1949 - ) Inventor of the Super Soaker® An anonymous source said of the Super Soaker®: "I got fired from a job once because of my Super Soaker. I guess that's what happens when you accidentally drench a customer when you're trying to get a co-worker who ducks."
Dr. Daniel H. Williams (1856-1931) Performed the First Successful Open Heart Surgery Operation An African American physician who made history by performing the first successful open heart surgery operation. He was born in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, the fifth of eight children.
Sarah E. Goode (1904-1950) Folding Cabinet Bed She invented the folding cabinet bed, a space-saver that folded up against the wall into a cabinet. When folded up, it could be used as a desk, complete with compartments for stationery and writing supplies.
George Crum (1822-1914) Inventor of Potato Chips The son of an African-American father and a Native American mother, Crum was working as the chef in the summer of 1853. A patron ordered a plate of Frenchfried potatoes sent them back. Crum sliced a new batch of potatoes as thin as he possibly could, and then fried them until they were hard and crunchy.
Dr. Mark Dean (1957- ) Computer Inventions As a child, Mark Dean excelled in math. In high school, Dean built his own computer, radio, and amplifier. He is one of the most prominent black inventors in the field of computers.
Dr. Philip Emeagwali (1954- ) Inventor of the World's Fastest Computer Dr. Philip Emeagwali, who has been called the "Bill Gates of Africa," was born in Nigeria in 1954. At age 14, he dropped out of school, because his father could pay his school fees.
Jan E. Matzeliger (1882-1889) Shoe Making Machine He invented the first ever shoe making machine. It could make up to 700 hundred pairs of shoes in a ten hour work day. Humans could only make 50. He died in 1889 at the age of 36 due to poor health.
Frederick McKinley Jones (1893-1961) Refrigerator Inventions One of the most prolific Black inventors ever, Jones patented more than 60 inventions in his lifetime. While more than 40 of those patents were in the field of refrigeration,
Garrett A. Morgan (1877-1963) Traffic Signal and Gas Mask Inventor Garret Augustus Morgan, one of the country's most successful African-American inventors, created two – the gas mask and the traffic signal.
Madam C. J. Walker (1867- 1919) Madam Walker’s Wonderful Hair Grower Born Sarah Breedlove on a Delta, Louisiana plantation, this daughter of former slaves transformed herself from an uneducated farm laborer and laundress into one of the twentieth century’s most successful, self-made women entrepreneurs.
Dr. James E. West (1931- ) Electret Microphone Inventor Ninety percent of microphones used today are based on the ingenuity of James Edward West. If you’ve ever talked on the telephone, you’ve probably used his invention. Dr. James E. West and a colleague, Gerhard Sessler, developed the mic while with Bell Laboratories.
Granville T. Woods (1857-1910) Multiplex Railway Telegraph Granville T. Woods's inventions were part of the everyday lives of millions of people. They rode street cars and subways powered by Woods's motors, supplied with electricity by Woods's electric transfer devices, and were brought to safe stops by Woods's improved air brakes.
Dr. Vivien T. Thomas (1910-1985) Pioneering Research in Surgical Shock and Cardiovascular Surgery Dr. Thomas was a surgical technician who developed the procedures used to treat blue baby syndrome in the 1940s. Thomas joined Dr. Blalock's surgical team which included the often honored cardiologist Dr.
Elijah McCoy (1843-1929) Inventor of a Lubrication System McCoy was the inventor of a device that allowed machines to be lubricated while they were still in operation. Machinery buyers insisted on McCoy lubrication systems when buying new machines and would take nothing less than what became known as the real McCoy.
Alexander Miles (1838-1905) Improved the method of opening and closing of elevator doors Alexander Miles improved the method of opening and closing of elevator doors; and he improved the closing of the opening to the elevator shaft when an elevator was not on that floor.