DID
YOU KNOW... that
an African American man named Lewis Latimer
who worked with Thomas Edison and Alexander
Graham Bell drew up the plans for Bell's
first telephone?
If you did, you are probably among the
fortunate few who possess such knowledge. It
is a fact that has not been well publicized.
There are countless inventions by African
Americans and they cover everything from
food processing to electrical technology.
The inventions by African Americans point
out the contributions that African Americans
have made to the comfort and advancement of
mankind. The following are some inventions
by African Americans.
America's
Hi-Tech "Invisible Man"
Patricia
E. Bath was the inventor
of the laser eye surgery technique now
widely used. In fact, she is the only
African American woman doctor to ever
receive a medical patent.
Frederick
Jones
invented the air conditioner unit and the
automatic refrigeration system for long-haul
trucks.
J.W.
Smith
invented the lawn sprinkler.
Sarah
Boone
invented the ironing board.
Jan
Matzeliger
invented
the shoe-lasting machine (for
attaching
soles on shoes in Lynn, Mass. His invention
revolutionized the shoe industry.
Lydia
Newman
invented the hair brush.
L.P.
Ray
invented the dust mop.
Thomas W. Stewart invented the mop.
John Love invented the pencil sharpener.
Lee Burridge invented the typewriter.
John
Burr
invented
the lawnmower.
Garrett
Morgan
invented
the traffic light.
John Standard took out a patent on an
improved refrigerating device... the
refrigerator.
Alice
Parker
invented the heating furnace.
Alexander Miles invented major
improvements to the elevator.
Dr.
Charles
Drew
invented a way to store blood and then
created
the first blood bank.
M.A. Cherry invented the tricycle.
Major Robert H. Lawrence was the first African American astronaut chosen
to make a journey to the moon. He had a doctoral degree in Chemistry
and would have made one of the first lunar trips, but he died in the crash
of an Air Force F-104 jet at Edwards Air Force Base, CA in 1968.
Ernest
E. Just was the first biologist to receive
the Springarn
Medal. He received distinction in his field
through his research
on egg fertilization and the functioning of
cells.
Harold
D. West was the first person to synthesize
the amino
acid threonine in the laboratory.
Dr.
William Hinton devised a test to determine
syphilis.
Andrew
Bryan was the first African American pastor,
ordained
in 1788.
Constance
B. Motley was the first African American
female
appointed as a Federal Judge in 1966.
Barbara
Watson Federal was the first African
American and first female to serve as Asst. Secretary of
State.
She held her post in 1974.
Bernice
Gaines Hughes was the first African American
female to obtain the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in
the U.S. Armed Forces.
Alonzo
Pietro (known as "il Negro") was
one of Columbus'
navigators on his first voyage to America in
1492.
