Famous black inventors and their inventions

1877-1963

Garrett Morgan was a prolific Black inventor whose early patent for an improved sewing machine design provided financial security for him and his family.

Following the Civil War in 1865, Goode moved with her family to Chicago, Illinois, where she married a stair builder named Archie. Thanks to his invention, grocery stores were able to buy and sell products (many of which you probably purchase regularly) from far distances without the risk of them spoiling during transport. As an agricultural chemist, in 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.

In his early 20s, he became a tailor before opening his own dry cleaning business in the city.  

He was the first African American to be granted a patent, after he debuted his “dry-scouring” invention in 1821, which we refer to in modern times as dry-cleaning. The company was soon renamed as ​​the Phoenix Foundry.  

1891: Phillip Downing Invents the Street Letter Box

Phillip Downing was a skilled inventor inthe late 19th and early 20th century.

In 1848, Parker married Miranda Boulden, born in the city. Carruthers’s father died when he was 12, and he moved to Chicago with his mother. 

In Chicago, Carruther’s was one of few African American students to participate in Chicago’s high school science fairs.

Though she filed a total of five patents, Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner is thought to be one of the most “forgotten” Black inventors, despite her contributions to society.

At the opposite side of the door, a camera could be slid up and down to allow the person to see through each peephole. In 1916, the city of Cleveland was drilling a new tunnel under Lake Erie for a fresh water supply when workers hit a pocket of natural gas, which resulted in an explosion that trapped workers underground amidst suffocating, noxious fumes and dust.

His idea for the hinged opening prevented rain or snow from damaging the mail. He grew up in Providence, Newport, and in Washington, D.C. 

Downing also wanted to establish himself in the professional world as his father did. In 1991, he became the first African American to receive the National Medal of Technology.

He was born in the city in 1791. Her current working theory is that people are the point of life, and she’s fascinated by everyone who (and every system that) creates our societal norms. She moved to Chicago in 1912 where she started studying cosmetology.