African American Inventors

Posted On Tuesday February 15, 2022

Originally Black History Celebration started out as a week-long celebration, with the purpose of teaching students and young people about African-Americans' contributions. This was needed because such stories had, and still to this day continue to be largely left out of the history lessons taught to students. This celebration which has now been extended to a month long celebration allows an opportunity for people to engage with black histories, go beyond discussions of racism and slavery, and highlight black leaders and accomplishments. All of which is a part of our American History. 

As we approach the end of February, please don’t stop your curiosity and learning about African American contributions to our country. Instead, continue to grow your knowledge in this area and share what you have learned with others; in order to help these conversations move beyond just an annual acknowledgement and celebration,  and  become more a part of our  everyday conversations. The hope is that one day black history will cease to be seen as a separate conversation, teaching and learning; and rather be included in the regular dialogue about our American History. As it is a critical part of our American history that we need to acknowledge, learn, and grow from.

We encourage you to click the links below to learn about some of the many African American Inventors that changed and improved American life!

•    Learn more about George Crum (1824-1914): The inventor of the Potato Chip

•    Learn more about Frederick McKinley Jones (1893-1961): The inventor of Mobile Refrigeration

•    Learn more about Granville T. Woods (1856-1910): the creator of numerous inventions, but well known for his invention of the first telegraph service that allowed messages to be sent from moving trains. This invention dramatically improved railroad safety. Woods also invented several improvements to the air brakes used on locomotives and other large machines.Woods sold his inventions to a number of companies, including the American Bell Telephone Company and the General Electric Company.

•    Learn more about George Washington Carver (1861-1943)who was an African American Scientist and inventor best known for the more than 300 uses he devised for the peanut. Mr. Carver was born into slavery and went on to be a botanist and teacher at the Tuskegee Institute. 

•    Learn more about Madam CJ Walker (1867-1919): An Entrepreneur & The first African American woman to become a self-made millionaire, after creating a line of hair products. 

•    Learn more about Garrett Morgan (1877-1963): who blazed a trail for African American inventors with his patents, including those for a hair-straightening product, a breathing device, a revamped sewing machine and an improved traffic signal by including a 3rd light (yellow for yield).

•    Learn more about Alexander Miles (1838-1918): The African American Inventor best known for patenting his design for improving the automatically opening and closing elevator doors.  The patent was issued on October 11, 1887 

•    Learn more about Percy Lavon Julian (1899-1975) An African American steroid chemist and an entrepreneur that made various vital contributions to modern medicine. Mr. Julian ingeniously figured out how to synthesize important medicinal compounds from abundant plant sources, making them more affordable to mass-produce. He synthesized a drug called physostigmine, which is used to treat glaucoma. Julian also discovered how to mass produce cortisone and the steroid progesterone, which was used to produce sex hormones.

•    Learn more about Mary Kenner (1912-2006) an inventor of numerous products we use today and has the most patents of any African American woman.  She is thought to be one of the most “forgotten” Black inventors. Some of her inventions included: the sanitary belt in 1957, which was adjustable and had a moisture proof napkin pocket in a time where women were still using cloth pads for their periods. A toilet tissue holder, and back washer that could be mounted on the wall of the shower.


•    Learn more about Marie Van Brittan (1922-1999): the inventor of the first home security system. She is also credited with the invention of the first closed circuit television.

•    Learn more about Shirley Jackson (1946-present):   is responsible for monumental telecommunications research that led to the invention of products such as the touch-tone phone, portable fax, fiber optic cables, and caller ID. Ms Jackson has achieved numerous firsts for African American women. She was the first black woman to earn a Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.); to receive a Ph.D. in theoretical solid state physics; to be elected president and then chairman of the board of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS); to be president of a major research university, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York; and to be elected to the National Academy of Engineering.  Jackson was also both the first African American and the first woman to chair the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

•    Learn more about Mark Dean (1957-Current) an African American inventor and computer engineer, is one of the most important figures in the emergence of the personal computer in the late 20th Century. Three of the nine patents on the original personal computer (PC) by International Business Machines (IBM) are registered to Mr.Dean, making him a key contributor in the development of the PC. Mr.Dean, who earned a doctorate at Stanford University, is a co-inventor of IBM's original personal computer and the PC color monitor, literally changing how we all interact with the internet. And the technology that enables printers, keyboards, and mice to communicate with your computer.

•    Learn more about Lonnie Johnson (1949-present) most famous for inventing the Super Soaker water gun.The engineer developed this mega water gun in his free time while working at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. And once the toy, dubbed the Super Soaker, hit shelves in 1990 its popularity skyrocketed. In 2017, Forbes reported that it had earned over $1 billion in retail sales.

•    Learn more about Lisa Gelobter (1971-Present)  an African American computer scientist, entrepreneur, and technology executive. Gelobter worked on several pioneering internet technologies, and she is credited with developing the animation used to create GIFs. She served as the Chief Digital Service Officer for the U.S. Department of Education during the administration of President Barack Obama.
She was closely involved with the 1995 creation of Shockwave as a software engineer,  she also helped launch Hulu.