15 African-American Inventors to Remember This Black History Month and Beyond

Woods accumulated almost 60 patents during his lifetimemany of which improved the functioning of railroads. One of his most notable was the induction telegraph systemwhich allowed traveling trains to communicate with one another while also allowing workers to locate them.

So many of us know George Washington Carver as the man famous for giving us peanut butter (bless him)but he’s responsible for much more. As an agricultural chemistin an effort to increase the profitability of sweet potatoes and peanuts (which thrived in the South as opposed to dwindling cotton supply)Carver began conducting experiments in 1896 and created 518 new products from the crops. They include inkdyesoapcosmeticsflourvinegarand synthetic rubber. He publicly revealed his experiments in 1914.

Madam C.J. Walker was the first African American woman to become a self-made millionaire after creating a line of hair products geared toward Black hair. (She created the firstMadam Walker’s Wonderful Hair Growerin 1905.) A Netflix series based upon her lifeSelf Madepremiered in March 2020.

It’s safe to say that Garrett Morgan’s most prominent original designs have saved thousands of lives since their invention. Take his traffic signalwhich he patented in 1922. It was the first to offer a third “caution” signalwhich we now know as the yellow light. And in 1912Morgan received a patent for his “Breathing Device,” which was one of the earliest versions of a gas mask.

Another innovation that contributed to saving lives was Alexander Miles’s elevator design. Before himelevators were operated manually; people had to physically open and close the doors of both the elevator and the shaft every time. Miles realized the constant hazard this posed when riding on an elevator with the shaft door open with his daughter. In 1887he obtained the patent for his inventionincluding a flexible belt attached to the elevator cageallowing the doors to function automatically. He was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2007.

American chemist Percy Lavon Julian made various vital contributions to modern medicine as a result of experimenting with soybeans. He synthesized a drug called physostigminewhich is used to treat glaucoma. Julian also discovered how to mass produce cortisone and the steroid progesteronewhich was used to produce sex hormones.

Though she filed a total of five patentsMary Beatrice Davidson Kenner is thought to be one of the most “forgotten” Black inventorsdespite her contributions to society. She patented the sanitary belt in 1957which was adjustable and had a moisture-proof napkin pocket in a time where women were still using cloth pads for their periods. She also created a serving tray that could be attached to a walking framea toilet tissue holderand back washer that could be mounted on the wall of the shower.

Brown filed a patent in 1966 for the first-ever home security system after wanting to increase her own house’s security in her QueensNew Yorkneighborhood. Her original design contained a cameraa two-way microphonepeepholesand monitorsall serving as the foundations for today’s modern systems.

Jacksonthe first African American woman to earn a doctorate at MITis responsible for monumental telecommunications research that led to the invention of products such as the touch-tone phoneportable faxfiber optic cablesand caller ID. In 2014President Barack Obama named her the co-chair of the President’s Intelligence Advisory.

Deanwho earned his doctorate at Stanford University and his master's at Florida Atlantic Universityis a co-inventor of IBM's original personal computer and the color PC monitorliterally changing how we all interact with the internet. As for the technology that allows keyboardsprintersand more to communicate with your computer? He is also one of the people behind it.

The engineer developed this mega water gun in his free time while working at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. And once the toydubbed the Super Soakerhit shelves in 1990its popularity skyrocketed. In 2017Forbes reported that it had earned over $1 billion in retail sales.

Gelobter was closely involved with the 1995 creation of Shockwave as a software engineerthe technology that helped to develop web animation. (Think all those GIFs we know and love.) She also helped launch Hulu and served on the senior management team.

Bath was a prolific ophthalmologistresearch scientistand laser scientist who studied both domestically and globallyand is known for her significant contributions to the medical field—including fighting against blindness. We also have her to thank for a new area of focus called "community opthalmology," which helps provide marginalized groups around the world with the eye care they need.

She was also an inventor: "I am most proud of my invention of a new technique and concept for cataract surgeryknown as laserphacowhich is defined by my publications as well as patents," she told The National Library of Medicine.

In 1974Bath became the first female ophthalmologist on staff at the University of California at Los Angeles School of Medicine Jules Stein Eye Institute. She also made national history in 1983when she became the first female chair of an ophthalmology residency program.