12 Black Inventors and Their Innovations That Shaped the World

In 1885Sarah Goode became the first Black woman to receive a U.S. patent. Goode was born into descent-based slavery in 1850and after the Civil Warshe moved to Chicago and opened a furniture store.

Thereshe devised an idea that would bring more urban residents with limited space into her store: She invented a folding cabinet bedwhich provided people living in tight housing accommodations the functionality of both a bed and a desk.

By daythe space-saving piece of furniture could be used as a deskbut at nightit could be folded out into a bed. The U.S. patent office granted Goode her patent 30 years before the creation of the Murphy beda hideaway bed that folds into a wall.

No chef likes to hear that their work has been rejectedbut George Crum was able to make magic out of one man's discontent. In 1853Crum was working as a chef at a resort in Saratoga SpringsNew York. A customer sent his dish of french fries back to the kitchenclaiming that they were too thicktoo mushy and not salty enough.

Crumin an irritated fitcut the potatoes as thinly as possiblefried them until they were burnt crispsand threw a generous handful of salt on top. He sent the plate out to the customerhoping to teach the patron a thing or two about complaining. Howeverthe customer loved the crisp chipsand soon the dish was one of the most popular things on the menu.

In 1860when Crum opened up his own restaurantevery table received a bowl of chips. Crum never patented his inventionnor was he the one who bagged and sold them in grocery storesbut junk food lovers the world over still have him to thank for this crunchy treat.

Imagine landing a plane without the help of air traffic controllers. These controllers advise pilots on how to navigate takeoffs and landings without colliding with other planes. Granville T. Woods invented the device that allowed train dispatchers to do the same thing in 1887.

Woods' inventionthe multiplex telegraphallowed dispatchers and engineers at various stations to communicate with moving trains via telegraph. Conductors could also communicate with their counterparts on other trains.

Before 1887train collisions were a huge problembut Woods' device helped make train travel much safer. Woods was sued by Thomas Edison who claimed he was the inventor of the multiplex telegraphbut Woods won that lawsuit. EventuallyEdison asked him to work at his Edison Electric Light Companybut Woods declinedpreferring to remain independent.

He also received a patent for a steam boiler furnace for trainsas well as for an apparatus that combined the powers of the telephone and the telegraph.

When Jan Matzeliger was 21he traveled to the United States from Suriname. Though he spoke no Englishhe landed a job as an apprentice at a shoe factory in Massachusetts.

At the timethe shoe industry was held captive by skilled craftsman known as hand lasters. They had the hardest and most technical job on the shoe assembly line: They had to fit shoe leather around a mold of a customer's foot and attach it to the sole of the shoe. A good hand laster could complete about 50 pairs of shoes a day.

Because the work was so skilledhand lasters were paid very large salarieswhich made shoes expensive to produce. To overcome the bottleneckMatzeliger learned Englishenabling him to study manufacturing. Using scrapshe invented a shoe lasting machine that produced 150 to 700 pairs daily. Although he died young from influenzahis invention made shoes more affordable.

Even if you've never heard of the automatic oil cupyou've probably uttered the phrase that entered the lexicon because of it. The automatic oil cup was the invention of Elijah McCoywho was born in 1843 to parents who had escaped slavery via the Underground Railroad.

McCoy was sent to Scotland for schooland he returned as a master mechanic and engineer. Howeverthe job opportunities for a Black man — no matter how educated — were limited due to racial discrimination. The only work McCoy could find was with the Michigan Central Railroad.

McCoy's job was to walk along the trains that pulled into the stationoiling the moving parts by hand. McCoy realized that a person wasn't necessary for this joband he invented the automatic oil cupwhich would lubricate the train's axels and bearings while it was in motion. As a resulttrains didn't have to stop as frequentlywhich reduced costssaved time and improved safety.

The oil cup was a huge successand imitators began producing knockoffs. Howeversavvy engineers knew that McCoy's cup was the bestso when purchasing the partthey'd ask for "the real McCoy."

Alexander Miles significantly impacted the safety of elevators with his groundbreaking design. Before Miles' innovationpassengers had to manually shut both the elevator doors and the elevator cage (a protective barrier that prevented accidental falls into the shaft). Howeverthis manual method led to numerous accidents if individuals forgot to close the doors.

Recognizing the dangerMiles patented an automatic mechanism in 1887 that closed both the elevator doors and the elevator cage simultaneously when the elevator was in motion. His invention drastically increased elevator safety and is a foundational aspect of modern elevator design.

Benjamin Bannekera notable polymathastounded his contemporaries by constructing a fully functioning clock entirely out of wooden parts in the 18th century. This mechanical marvelwhich ran accurately for decadesshowcased Banneker's exceptional engineering and craftsmanship skills.

Though he also engaged in pioneering research in other fieldslike astronomy and the design of Washington D.C.the clock remains a standout testament to his innovative spirit.

Thomas Edison often gets the credit for inventing the light bulbbut in realitydozens of inventors were working to perfect commercial lighting. One of those inventors was Lewis Latimer. In 1868the Black inventor was hired at a law firm that specialized in patents in 1868; while therehe taught himself mechanical drawing and was promoted from office boy to draftsman.

In his time at the firmhe worked with Alexander Graham Bell on the plans for the telephone. Latimer then began his foray into the world of light.

At the timeEdison was working on a light bulb model with a paper filament (the filament is the thin fiber that the electric current heats to produce light). In Edison's experimentsthe paper would burn down in 15 minutes or sorendering the bulb unrealistic for practical use. It was Latimer who created a light bulb model that used a carbon filamentwhich lasted longer and made light bulb production cheaper.

Because of Latimer's innovationmore people could afford to light their homes. Latimer also received patents for a water closet on railroad cars and a predecessor to the modern air conditioner.

Sarah Breedlove Walkerborn in 1867faced a life filled with hardships from being orphaned at age 7becoming a mother at 17 and widowed by 19. For yearsshe worked as a laundress. Laterfacing hair loss — common among Black women of the time due to scalp ailments and damaging hair products — she claimed a dream revealed a unique pomade formula.

In realityshe served a stint as an agent for Annie Pope-Turnbo Malonea Black woman with an established line of beauty products. Malone believed Walker (and others) knocked off her products.

NonethelessWalker continued to grow her empire. Using a pioneering direct sales approachshe trained women for door-to-door sales and even established a training university. Over her lifetimeshe employed 40,000 people in the U.S.Central America and the Caribbean.

Contrary to popular beliefshe didn't invent the hair straightening combbut she did improve on the design (giving it wider teeth)which made sales soar.

Though often dubbed the first self-made woman millionairerecords place her worth at about $600,000 — a significant sum for her time. She generously supported institutions like the YMCA and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Charles Richard Drewwith an M.D. and a Master of Surgerypursued a Doctor of Medical Science degree at Columbia University in 1938. Therehis interest in blood preservation led him to develop a method of separating red blood cells from plasmaextending blood storage beyond the then one-week limit.

The ability to store blood (oras Drew called itbanking the blood) for longer periods of time meant that more people could receive transfusions. Drew documented these findings in a paper that led to the first blood bank.

Laterwhile overseeing blood preservation and delivery in World War IIhe became the director of the inaugural American Red Cross Blood Bank for the U.S. Army and Navywhich served as the model for blood banks today.

HoweverDrew resigned his position because the armed forces insisted on separating blood by race and providing white soldiers with blood donated from white peoplenot African Americans. Drew knew that race made no difference in blood compositionand he felt that this move would cost too many lives. He returned to private life as a surgeon and medical professor at Howard Universitywhere he worked until his death in 1950.

Before 1891dropping a letter in a U.S. public mailbox didn't guarantee its safety. The semi-open designs made mail vulnerable to theft and weather damage.

Philip B. Downing changed that when he invented a mailbox design with an outer and inner safety door. With the outer door openthe inner door shielded the mail; when closedmail could be deposited. Thanks to his innovationmailboxes became widespreadeven in residential areas.

Born into a middle-class family in 1857Downing had a long career as a clerk with the Custom House in Boston. He also received patents for a device to quickly moisten envelopes and one for operating street railway switches.

Garrett Morgan only received a sixth-grade formal educationbut he was observant and adept at learning. While working as a handyman in the early 20th centuryMorgan taught himself the mechanics of sewing machinesleading him to start a business selling and repairing them.

Thenin his quest for a needle polishhe stumbled upon a formula that straightened human hair — marking his first invention.

Disturbed by the fatalities of firefighters due to smokeMorgan devised the "safety hood," a precursor to the gas maskwhich went over the headfeatured tubes connected to wet sponges that filtered out smoke and provided fresh oxygen. This primitive gas mask became a sensation in 1916 when Morgan ran to the scene of a tunnel explosion and used his invention to save the lives of trapped workers.

In 1923as automobiles were becoming more commonMorgan went on to develop an early prototype of the three-position traffic signal after seeing too many collisions.

This article was updated in conjunction with AI technologythen fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.