He was so fascinated by the watch that its owner lent it to Banneker. He spent time studying pocket watches before deciding to build his own timepiece.
A year later, Banneker invented a clock out of wood that struck a gong on the hour and kept time to the second. Banneker's wooden clock kept time for more than 40 years. In , Banneker completed the first Banneker's Almanac. Almanacs were important books in the 18th century because they told exactly when the sun came up in the morning and set at night.
Almanacs also listed tide tables, dates of lunar and solar eclipses, holidays, and phases of the moon. Banneker's Almanac was commonly used by farmers and other residents of Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia during the 18th and 19th centuries. Banneker gave a first edition of his almanac to Thomas Jefferson. He called on Jefferson to give black men and women equal rights, and to fight against prejudice that was "so prevalent in the world against those of my complexion.
James Forten. James Forten — was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and lived there most of his life. He served in the U. Navy during the Revolutionary War.
Captured and imprisoned by the British, Forten was offered his freedom if he agreed to live in England. Forten replied, "I am here a prisoner for the liberties of my country. I never, never shall prove a traitor to her interests! He quickly learned the trade and developed a patent for a device to handle ship sails, which made him a wealthy man.
George Peake. George Peake — also fought in the Revolutionary War. He was the first African American to be part of the settlement that eventually became Cleveland, Ohio. At this time, Ohio was a largely unsettled frontier in the western part of the United States. Peake invented a hand mill for grinding corn. His hand mill was made of two round stones approximately 48 centimeters 19 inches wide. Peake's invention was easier to use than the traditional mortar and pestle , and ground the corn more smoothly.
Although Peake didn't patent his invention, he received credit for it in the November 8, , issue of the newspaper Cleveland Leader. Patent Office, he is not the first African American to be awarded a U. Most historians agree that Thomas L. And in pursuing their dreams, these creative thinkers made the world a better place. Lewis Latimer devised a manufacturing process that made electric lights affordable for ordinary people. Charles Drew did pioneering work in blood storage, helping save countless lives.
Garrett Woods figured out how to send messages from moving trains. Learn about these and many other black scientists and inventors in this fascinating book. Author : Robert C. Miriam E. Jewel Plummer Cobb, Ph. Ellen F. Eglin Angela D. Ferguson, M. Video Audio icon An illustration of an audio speaker. Audio Software icon An illustration of a 3. Software Images icon An illustration of two photographs. Images Donate icon An illustration of a heart shape Donate Ellipses icon An illustration of text ellipses.
Outward dreams : Black inventors and their inventions Item Preview. With rapid efficiency, the machine could make up to pairs of shoes per day. This drove the cost of shoe production down drastically. It also increased shoe availability and decreased shoe cost. Despite his unfortunate death at only 37, his invention revolutionized shoemaking.
It was also a crucial first step towards our future of automation. Alexander Miles gave the world the incredible gift of automatic elevator doors. George T.
Sampson gave us the mechanical dryer in and a sled propeller in Inventor Richard Spikes gave us the automatic gear shift in He also conceived many other innovations like the multiple barrel machine gun, a beer keg tap, and automatic safety brakes. But my favorite inventor on this list has to be Elijah McCoy. A certified mechanical engineer, Elijah worked primarily on railroad projects.
He developed a method of automating train lubrication using a lubricating cup. This cup dripped oil in the right location at the right time. His invention was so popular that many people tried to copy it. Necessity is the mother of invention, but simplicity is key. Black inventors Lloyd Ray and Sarah Boone recognized this. They invented the dustpan and the ironing board respectively. Mary and Mildred Davidson invented the toilet paper holder.
Philip Downing invented the street mailbox. In fact, black inventors conceived many things we use on a daily basis. Familiar with traffic lights and the cycle between red, yellow, and green? Due to racial tension in the southern U. He demonstrated the effectiveness of his invention, seeing robust sales numbers thanks to his strategy. As a result of its efficacy, it was developed into gas masks used in WWI to protect soldiers from gas warfare.
Alice H. Parker revolutionized the way we heat our living or working spaces. Before her innovation of the natural gas heating furnace , wood burning furnaces were the only way to do it. As a result of her preliminary designs, other inventors devised modern thermostat technology. Many black inventors worked hand-in-hand with more famous, often white inventors.
His patents also include railroad car water closets and the electric lamp. Speaking of Edison, inventor Granville T. His first patent came in for an improvement to steam boiler furnaces. Due to his acumen in the industry, many of his subsequent inventions and patents revolved around electrical devices.
This allowed people to communicate over telegraph wires, thus expediting transmissions. Due to the increased speed of communications, his invention reduced accidents, too. He also patented an improvement to established air-brake systems from to Ultimately, he invented 15 total appliances for electric railways and held almost 60 patents. Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner might be the least noted black inventor on this list. And yet, her contributions, like many here, revolutionized everyday living.
Kenner invented things for the love of inventing, but also to serve herself and the people in her life. In fact, her family has a history of inventorship including her father, sister, and maternal grandfather. Born in , she made her first attempt at inventing a self-oiling door hinge to stop a squeaky door from waking her up at night when she was just six years old. She carried this curious spirit with her throughout her life into college. Though she had to give up her spot at Howard University due to financial issues, Kenner kept on inventing.
For all my menstruating readers out there, imagine a world without modern tampons and pads. Well, Kenner was the one who revolutionized this market with her sanitary napkin belt.
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