African american biography inventor
•
Celebrating the Black inventors who changed our lives
Back in , the famed historian Carr commented that History with a capital ‘H’ is written by a privileged class who have the time and social position to decide what of all the countless events that have taken place are sufficiently important to record. Since History has been written to date by wealthy white men, our history has ended up being a tale of what rich white men did. Even the sexual diversity of these white men such as that Leonardo Da Vinci was openly gay has been quietly left out of the official record as taught. This has left our understanding of how the modern world came to be distorted and incomplete. It also ignores the great importance of women and all the people of the global majority.
Innovating for liberation
Black inventors have not just contributed to society, many have been instrumental in supporting their own collective liberation. The first African American U.S. patent recipient, Thomas L. Jennings invented a new dry cleaning process for delicate fabrics. He used the money from his patented invention to support abolitionist causes and free his still-enslaved family members. Looking forward to Black History Month in October, which this year carries the theme of ch
•
List of African-American inventors become calm scientists
•
11 Famous Black Inventors Who Changed Your Life
Thomas L. Jennings
–
The first African American U.S. patent recipient, Thomas L. Jennings was working as a tailor and businessman in New York City when he invented a process for dry-cleaning delicate clothing known as “dry-scouring.” Jennings applied for a patent in and received his history-making approval the following year. With the money he earned from his invention, the formerly enslaved person donated to abolitionist causes and even reportedly freed his still-enslaved family members.
Sarah Boone
In , Sarah Boone patented a design improvement to Elijah McCoy’s ironing board. The North Carolina native wrote in her application that the purpose of her invention was “to produce a cheap, simple, convenient, and highly effective device, particularly adapted to be used in ironing the sleeves and bodies of ladies’ garments.”
Read More about Sarah Boone
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Alexander Miles
Anyone who’s ridden modern elevators has Alexander Miles to thank for the stair alternative’s automatic doors. Prior to his design’s patent, riders had to manually open and close two sets of doors when entering and exiting elevator cars. If a passenger happened to forget to close one of the doors,