Subject: Black Inventors [Print This Page]
Author: changabula Time: 2007-5-29 07:25 AM Subject: Black Inventors
Honoring Black Inventors of the Past and Present:
Black people are not given enough credit for the things that they invent or discover.
QUOTE:
"Black minds have been inventors, engineers and master-builders since antiquity." - B.L. Crudup, P.E.
Here I would like to post some information on their achievements.
Why were they not given enough credit?
None of these inventors were compensated for their contributions to American society. It was illegal for blacks to own the rights to their inventions so a lot of times their slave masters received the rights and monetary compensation for their slaves' inventions.
"Only when lions have historians will hunters cease being heroes."
~ African Proverb
Racism DOES NOT PAY!
http://www.users.fast.net/~blc/xlhome9a.htm
The missing picture ... of all of those, ...who might have been, ...outstanding contributors to [science and] engineering, ...if not for racism:
[ Last edited by changabula at 2007-6-4 01:23 AM ]
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-5-29 07:27 AM
Here's a list of African-American inventors who contributed to the history (and advancement) of the US:
1.Dr. Patricia Bath - first African American woman doctor to receive a patent for a medical invention.
2.Joseph Winters - invented a wagon-mounted fire escape ladder
3.Richard Spikes - automobile directional signals,automatic safety brake,railroad semaphore,improved automatic gear shift,drafting machine for blind people
4.Frederick Jones - automatic refrigeration system for long-haul trucks,self-starting gas engine,air-conditioning unit for military field hospitals
5.Dr. Charles Drew - The Blood Bank
6.Alexander Miles - electric elevator
7.Alice Parker - gas heating furnace that provided central heating
8.John Thompson - lingo programming used in Macromedia Director and Shockwave.
9.Madame CJ Walker - hair care and cosmetics industry for African American women
10.Garrett Morgan - Gas Mask,Traffic Signal
Author: changabula Time: 2007-5-29 07:30 AM
A little history lesson for you:
-Who invented the motor (the one similar to that used in cars today)? A Black man named Frederick Jones in 1939,.
-Who invented potato chips? A Black man named George Crum in 1853.
-Who invented the spark plug? A Black man named Edmond Berger in 1839.
-Who invented the refrigerator? A Black man named J. Standard in 1891.
-Who invented the gas mask? A Black man named Garrett Morgan, without which many lives would have been lost in WWI.
-Who invented the lawn mower? A Black man named L.A. Burr in 1889.
-Who invented the guitar? A Black man named Robert Flemming, Jr. in 1886, without which we could not create music to rock out to.
-Who invented the golf tee? A Black man named T. Grant in 1899.
-Who invented the fire extinguisher? A Black man named T. Marshall in 1872.
-Who invented the elevator? A Black man named Alexander Miles in 1888.
-Who was the first doctor to perform open heart surgery? A Black man named Dr. Daniel Hale.
I
Author: changabula Time: 2007-5-29 07:38 AM
LIFE WITHOUT BLACK PEOPLE
A very humorous and revealing story is told about a group of white people who were fed up with African Americans, so they joined together and wished themselves away. They passed through a deep dark tunnel and emerged in sort of a twilight zone where there is an America without black people.
At first these white people breathed a sigh of relief. At last, they said, No more crime, drugs, violence and welfare. All of the blacks have gone! Then suddenly, reality set in. The "NEW AMERICA" is not America at all-only a barren land.
1. There are very few crops that have flourished because the nation was built on a slave-supported system.
2. There are no cities with tall skyscrapers because Alexander Mils, a black man, invented the elevator, and without it, one finds great difficulty reaching higher floors.
3. There are few if any cars because Richard Spikes, a black man, invented the automatic gearshift, Joseph Gambol, also black,! invented the Super Charge System for Internal Combustion Engines, and Garrett A. Morgan, a black man, invented the traffic signals.
4. Furthermore, one could not use the rapid transit system because its procurer was the electric trolley, which was invented by anotherblack man, Albert R. Robinson.
5. Even if there were streets on which cars and a rapid transit system could operate, they were cluttered with paper because an African American, Charles Brooks, invented the street sweeper.
6. There were few if any newspapers, magazines and books because John Love invented the pencil sharpener, William Purveys invented the fountain pen, and Lee Barrage invented the Type Writing Machine and W. A. Love invented the Advanced Printing Press. They were all, you guessed it, Black.
7. Even if Americans could write their letters, articles and books, they would not have been transported by mail because William Barry invented the Postmarking and Canceling Machine, William Purveys invented the Hand Stamp and Philip Downing invented the Letter Drop.
8. The lawns were brown and wilted because Joseph Smith invented the Lawn Sprinkler and John Burr the Lawn Mower.
9. When they entered their homes, they found them to be poorly ventilated and poorly heated. You see, Frederick Jones invented the Air Conditioner and Alice Parker the Heating Furnace. Their homes were also dim. But of course, Lewis Lattimer Later invented the Electric Lamp, Michael Harvey invented the lantern and Granville T. Woods invented the Automatic Cut off Switch. Their homes were also filthy because Thomas W. Steward invented the Mop & Lloyd P. Ray the Dust Pan.
10. Their children met them at the door-barefooted, shabby, motley and unkempt. But what could one expect? Jan E. Matzelinger invented the Shoe Lasting Machine, Walter Sammons! invented the Comb, Sarah Boone invented the Ironing Board and George T Samon invented the Clothes Dryer.
11. Finally, they were resigned to at least have dinner amidst all of this turmoil. But here again, the food had spoiled because another Black Man, John Standard invented the refrigerator.
Now, isn't that something? What would this country be like without the contributions of Blacks, as African-Americans?
Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "by the time we leave for work, Americans have depended on the inventions from the minds of Blacks."
Black history includes more than just slavery, Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and Marcus Garvey & W.E.B. Dubois.
Author: matt605 Time: 2007-5-29 07:42 AM
How about peanut butter?
George Washington Carver invented peanut butter, a product that dramatically changed the popular demand for peanuts, a crop grown throughout his home state of Alabama. Of course, in years ahead, China will be growing and selling more peanuts than anyone, even smaller African countries, which grow a lot.
Author: changabula Time: 2007-5-29 07:52 AM
Benjamin Banneker
(1731-1806)
Benjamin Banneker was born in 1731 just outside of Baltimore, Maryland, the son of a slave. His grandfather had been a member of a royal family in Africa and was wise in agricultural endeavors. As a young man, he was allowed to enroll in a school run by Quakers and excelled in his studies, particularly in mathematics. Soon, he had progressed beyond the capabilities of his teacher and would often make up his own math problems in order to solve them.
One day his family was introduced to a man named Josef Levi who owned a watch. Young Benjamin was so fascinated by the object that Mr. Levi gave it to him to keep, explaining how it worked. Over the course of the next few days, Benjamin repeatedly took the watch apart and then put it back together. After borrowing a book on geometry and another on Isaac Newton's Principia (laws of motion) he made plans to build a larger version of the watch, mimicking a picture he had seen of a clock. After two years of designing the clock and carving each piece by hand, including the gears, Banneker had successfully created the first clock ever built in the United States. For the next thirty years, the clock kept perfect time.
In 1776, the Third Continental Congress met and submitted the Declaration of Independence from England. Soon thereafter, the Revolutionary War broke out an Banneker set out to grow crops of wheat in order to help feed American troops. His knowledge of soil gained from his grandfather allowed him to raise crops in areas which had previously stood barren for years.
When a family friend died and left him a book on astronomy, a telescope and other scientific inventions, Banneker became fascinated with the stars and the skies. He soon was able to predict events such as solar eclipses and sunrises and sunsets. In 1792, he developed his first almanac, predicting weather and seasonal changes and also included tips on planting crops and medical remedies. Banneker sent a copy of his book to Thomas Jefferson, at that time the Secretary of State and in a twelve page later expressed to Jefferson that Blacks in the United States possessed equal intellectual capacity and mental capabilities as those Whites who were described in the Declaration of Independence. As such, he stated, Blacks should also be afforded the same rights and opportunities afforded to whites. This began a long correspondence between the two men that would extend over several years.
Around the same time, President Washington decided to move the Nation's Capitol from Philadelphia to an area on the border of Maryland and Virginia. Major Pierre L'Enfant from France was commissioned to develop the plans for for the new city and at Jefferson's request, Banneker was included as one of the men appointed to assist him. Banneker consulted frequently with L'Enfant and studied his draft and plans for the Capitol City carefully. L'Enfant was subject to great criticism and hostility because he was a foreigner and abruptly resigned from the project and moved back to France.
As the remaining members of the team gathered, they began debating as to how they should start from scratch. Banneker surprised them when he asserted that he could reproduce the plans from memory and in two days did exactly as he had promised. The plans he drew were the basis for the layout of streets, buildings and monuments that exist to this day in Washington D.C.
Benjamin Banneker died quietly on October 25, 1806, lying in a field looking at the stars through his telescope. Nations around the world mourned his passing, viewing him as a genius and the United States' first great Black Inventor.
http://www.blackinventor.com/pages/benjaminbanneker.html
http://inventors.about.com/od/bstartinventors/a/Banneker.htm
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-5-29 07:57 AM
Patricia Bath
(invented a method of eye surgery that has helped many blind people to see.)
When Patricia Era Bath was born on November 4, 1942, she could have succumbed to the pressures and stresses associated with growing up in Harlem, New York. With the uncertainty present because of World War II and the challenges for members of Black communities in the 1940's, one might little expect that a top flight scientist would emerge from their midst. Patricia Bath, however, saw only excitement and opportunity in her future, sentiments instilled by her parents. Her father, Rupert, was well-educated and an eclectic spirit. He was the first Black motorman for the New York City subway system, served as a merchant seaman, traveling abroad and wrote a newspaper column. Her mother Gladys, was the descendant of African slaves and Cherokee Native Americans. She worked as a housewife and domestic, saving money for her children's education. Rupert was able to tell his daughter stories about his travels around the world, deepening her curiosity about people in other countries and their struggles. Her mother encouraged her to read constantly and broadened Patricia's interest in science by buying her a chemistry set. With the direction and encouragement offered by her parents, Patricia quickly proved worthy of their efforts.
Bath was enrolled in Charles Evans Hughes High School in New York where she served as the editor of the school's science paper. In 1959, she was selected from a vast number of students across the country for a summer program at Yeshiva University (New York City) sponsored by the National Science Foundation. Only 16 years old she worked in the field of cancer research under the tutelage of Dr. Robert Bernard and Rabbi Moses D. Tendler. During the program she developed a number of theories about cancer growth and at the end of the summer she offered a mathematical equation that could be used to predict the rate of the growth of a cancer. So impressed with her was Dr. Bernard that he incorporated parts of her research into a joint scientific paper that he presented at a conference in Washington, DC. Due to the resulting publicity about her work, Mademoiselle magazine presented Patricia with its 1960 Merit Award. The award was presented annually to ten young women demonstrating the promise of great achievement. In only 2 1/2 years of study she was able to graduate from high school and set out for college.
In 1964, Bath graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hunter College in New York. Soon thereafter, she enrolled in medical school at Howard University in Washington, DC. Her exposure to Black professors and administrators had a great impact on her belief in Black leadership in society. While in medical school, she took part in a summer program in Yugoslavia, focused on pediatrics research. The program, sponsored by a government fellowship, allowed her to travel abroad for the first time and to gain experience internationally. She graduated with honors from Howard in 1968.
Patricia returned to New York in the fall of 1968 to work as an intern at Harlem Hospital and accepted a fellowship in ophthalmology at Columbia University a year later. In working in the two distinct atmospheres, she was able to make a clear and alarming observation. In the Eye Clinic in Harlem she noticed that many of the patients suffered blindness while few at the Columbia Eye Clinic did. After further research she concluded in a well-received report that Blacks were twice as likely to suffer from blindness as the general population. Further research would reveal that Blacks were eight times more likely to suffer blindness as a result of glaucoma than whites. Bath believed that the main explanation for this disparity was the lack of access to ophthalmic care for Blacks and other poor people. This would eventually lead to her promoting the concept of Community Ophthalmology, which would work as an outreach programs, sending volunteers out into the community to provide vision, cataracts and glaucoma screening. This would help to provide treatment that could save the vision of elderly people and provide glasses that would help children in school and prevent vision problems in the future. She implored many of the professors at Columbia to donate their time and perform pro bono services for Harlem Hospital's Eye Clinic.
From 1970 to 1973 Patricia moved on to New York University where she became the first Black person to complete a residency in ophthalmology. In addition to her professional success, she enjoyed personal happiness as well, as she got married and had a daughter. In 1974, Bath moved to California and became a faculty member at UCLA and the Charles R. Drew University. Over the next nine years, she would serve in various capacities, and in 1983, co-founded and chaired the Opthalmology Residency Training Program at Drew/UCLA. The fact that she was the first woman in the country to hold such a position would be noteworthy, if not for the fact that Bath was the first to achieve so many distinctions in her life. In 1976, she co-founded the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness based on the principle that "eyesight is a basic human right."
After traveling around the world offering her services and bringing awareness to vision issues, Bath settled back into her research at UCLA. She pondered the problems associated with addressing cataracts disease in the United States. Cataracts is characterized by a cloudiness that occurs within the lens of an eye, causing blurred vision and often blindness. Standard treatment called for using traditional surgical methods to remove the damaged lens (one method employed the use of a mechanical drill-like mechanical device that would grind away the cataracts and could only be used for secondary cataract surgery). Bath devised safer, faster and more accurate approach to cataracts surgery.
In 1981 she began work on her most well-known invention which she would call a "Laserphaco Probe." The device employed a laser as well as two tubes, one for irrigation and one for aspiration (suction). The laser would be used to make a small incision in the eye and the laser energy would vaporize the cataracts within a couple of minutes. The damaged lens would then be flushed with liquids and then gently extracted by the suction tube. With the liquids still being washed into the eye, a new lens could be easily inserted. Additionally, this procedure could be used for initial cataract surgery and could eliminate much of the discomfort expected, while increasing the accuracy of the surgery. Unfortunately, though her concept was sound, she was unable to find any lasers within the United States that could be adapted for the procedure (the majority of laser technology in the United States was dedicated to military purposes). She was able to find the laser probe she needed in Berlin, Germany and successfully tested the device which she described as an "apparatus for ablating and removing cataract lenses" and later dubbed it the "Laserphaco Probe." Bath sought patent protection for her device and received patents in several countries around the world. She intends to use the proceeds of her patent licenses to benefit the AIPB.
Patricia Bath retired from UCLA in 1993 and continues to advocate vision care outreach and calls for attention to vision issues. Her remarkable achievements as a Black woman make her proud, but racial and gender-based obstacles do not consume her. "Yes, I'm interested in equal opportunities, but my battles are in science."
http://www.blackinventor.com/pages/patriciabath.html
http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/bath.html
[ Last edited by changabula at 2007-6-4 08:05 PM ]
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Author: joey141 Time: 2007-5-29 10:01 AM
Thank you changabula for pointing out the great contributions of black Americans. Just another reason why America is so great. You should have also mentioned hip-hop, which is extremely popular all over the world.
Multiculturalism is awesome.
Author: changabula Time: 2007-5-29 04:20 PM
Credit Where Credit is due.
QUOTE:
Originally posted by joey141 at 2007-5-29 10:01
Thank you changabula for pointing out the great contributions of black Americans. Just another reason why America is so great. You should have also mentioned hip-hop, which is extremely popular all ...
I am doing this to help redress the balance.
I am going to post some information about a few black inventors that managed to get the credit despite facing many obstacles.
[ Last edited by changabula at 2007-6-4 02:09 AM ]
Author: changabula Time: 2007-5-29 04:23 PM
Andrew Beard
(1849-1921)
(a farmer, carpenter, blacksmith, a railroad worker, a businessman and finally an inventor)
Andrew Jackson Beard hailed from Eastlake, Alabama, a small town outside of Birmingham. With the emergence of the railroad industry and its rapid expansion throughout the country, an alarming number of railmen suffered serious injuries to their arms and legs when they were crushed during manual style coupling of railroad cars. During manual coupling, a worker would have to attempt to precisely time the moment when two railroad cars being pushed together would be close enough for that worker to drop a metal pin between their connectors, thus engaging the cars. If the worker was off by one second he might severe damage his arm or leg - many in fact had to undergo amputation.
On November 27, 1897 Beard received a patent for a device he called the Jenny Coupler. The Jenny Coupler automatically joined cars by simply allowing them to bump into each other, or as Beard described it the "horizontal jaws engage each other to connect the cars." Beard sold the rights to his invention for $50,000.00 and the railroad industry was revolutionized.
During his lifetime, Beard received a number of other patents, including a steam driven rotary engine, and a double plow.
http://www.blackinventor.com/
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blbeard.htm
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-5-29 04:27 PM
Miriam E. Benjamin
(second black woman to receive a patent for an invention she called a Gong and Signal Chair for Hotels)
Miriam E. Benjamin was a school teacher living in Washington D.C. In 1888, Ms. Benjamin received a patent for an invention she called a Gong and Signal Chair for Hotels. Her chair, as she stated in her patent application would "reduce the expenses of hotels by decreasing the number of waiters and attendants, to add to the convenience and comfort of guests and to obviate the necessity of hand clapping or calling aloud to obtain the services of pages."
The system worked by pressing a small button on the back of a chair which would relay a signal to a waiting attendant. At the same time a light would illuminate on the chair allowing the attendant to see which guest was in need of assistance. The system was adopted and installed within the United States House of Representatives and was the predecessor of the methods used today on airplanes to signal stewardesses.
Ms. Benjamin was the second Black woman to receive a patent.
http://www.blackinventor.com/
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blbenjamin.htm
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-5-29 04:29 PM
Henry Blair
Henry Blair was the second Black inventor issued a patent by the United States Patent Office. His first invention was a seed planter which enabled farmers to plant more corn utilizing less labor in a smaller period of time. Two years later, in 1836, Blair received a second patent for a corn harvester. Blair had been a successful farmer for years and developed the inventions as a means of increasing efficiency in farming.
It is noteworthy that in both of his patents he was listed as a "colored man", the only example of an inventor's race being listed or acknowledged on an issued patent.
http://www.blackinventor.com/
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-5-29 04:30 PM
Sarah Boone
Sarah Boone received a patent on April 26, 1892 for a device which would help to neatly iron clothing. This device, the predecessor to our modern ironing board was made of a narrow wooden board, with collapsible legs and a padded cover and was specifically designed for the fitted clothing worn during that time period.
Prior to her inventions, people were forced to resort to simply using a table or being creative in laying a plank of wood across two chairs or small tables.
http://www.blackinventor.com/
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-5-29 04:35 PM
Otis F. Boykin
(invented the electronic control devices for guided missiles, IBM computers, and the pacemaker.)
Otis F. Boykin was born on August 29, 1920 in Dallas, Texas. After graduating high school, he attended Fisk College in Nashville, Tennessee. He graduated in 1941 and took a job as a laboratory assistant with the Majestic Radio and TV Corporation in Chicago, Illinois. He undertook various tasks but excelled at testing automatic aircraft controls, ultimately serving as a supervisor. Three years laster he left Majestic and took a position as a research engineer with the P.J. Nilsen Reseach Laboratories. Soon thereafter, he decided to try to develop a business of his own a founded Boykin-Fruth, Incorporated. At the same time, he decided to continue his education, pursuing graduate studies at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, Illinois. He attended classes in 1946 and 1947 but was forced to drop out because he lacked the funds to pay the next year's tuition.
Despite this setback, Boykin realized that a Masters Degree was not a pre-requisite for inventive competence. He set out to work on project that he had contemplated while in school. At the time, the field of electronics was very popular among the science community and Boykin took a special interest in working with resistors. A resistor is an electronic component that slows the flow of an electrical current. This is necessary to prevent too much electricity from passing through a component than is necessary or even safe. Boykin sought and received a patent for a wire precision resistor on June 16, 1959. This resistor allowed for a specific amounts of current to flow through for a specific purpose and would be used in radios and televisions. Two years later, he created another resistor that could be manufactured very inexpensively. It was a breakthrough device as it could withstand extreme changes in temperature and tolerate and withstand various levels of pressure and physical trauma without impairing its effectiveness. The chip was cheaper and more reliable than others on the market. Not surprisingly, it was in great demand as he received orders from consumer electronics manufacturers, the United States military and electronics behemoth IBM.
In 1964, Boykin moved to Paris, creating electronic innovations for a new market of customers. Most of these creations involved electrical resistance components (including small component thick-film resistors used in computers and variable resistors used in guided missile systems) but he also created other important products including a chemical air filter and a burglarproof cash register. His most famous invention, however, was a control unit for the pacemaker, which used electrical impulses to stimulate the heart and create a steady heartbeat. In a tragic irony, Boykin died in 1982 as a result of heart failure.
Otis Boykin proved that the setback of having to drop out of school was not enough to deter him from his dream of becoming an inventor and having a long-lasting effect on the world
http://www.blackinventor.com/
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-5-31 08:03 AM
Benjamin Bradley
Benjamin Bradley was born around 1830 as a slave in Maryland. He was able to read and write, although at the time it was illegal for a slave to do so (he likely learned from the Master's children). He was put to work in a printing office and at the age of 16 began working with scrap he found, modeling it into a small ship. Eventually, with an intuitiveness that seemed far beyond him, he improved on his creation until he had built a working steam engine, made from a piece of a gun-barrel, pewter, pieces of round steel and some nearby junk. Those around him were so astounded by his high level of intelligence that he was placed in a new job, this time at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.
In his new position he served as a classroom assistant in the science department. He helped to set up and conduct experiments, working with chemical gases. He was very good at his work, impressing the professors with his understanding of the subject matter and also with his preparedness in readying the experiments. In addition to the praise he received, he also received a salary, most of which went to his Master, but some of which (about $5.00 per month) he was able to keep.
Despite enjoying his job with the Naval Academy, Bradley had not forgotten his steam engine creation. He used the money he had been able to save from his job as well as the proceeds of the sale of his original engine (to a Naval Academy student) to build a larger model. Eventually he was able to finish an engine large enough to drive the first steam-powered warship at 16 knots. At the time, because he was a slave, he was unable to secure a patent for his engine. His master did, hoever, allow him to sell the engine and he used that money to purchase his freedom.
.
Author: changabula Time: 2007-5-31 08:04 AM
Charles Brooks
(invented improvements to street sweeper trucks)
C. B. Brooks designed the street sweeper and patented it on March 17, 1896. Prior to his invention, streets were cleaned manually by workers picking up trash by hand or sweeping it with brooms. Brooks' invention was made of a truck with a series of broom-like brushes attached which pushed trashed and debris off onto the side of the road.
The streetsweeper initially faced a lot of resentment from workers who felt they could do a better job. Eventually, as cities grew bigger and more and more litter accumulated, the streetsweeper became indispensable.
Charles Brooks also patented an early paper punch, also called a ticket punch. It was a ticket punchthat had a built-in receptacle on one of the jars to collect the round pieces of waste paper and prevent littering.
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blbrooks.htm
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-5-31 08:05 AM
Henry Brown
Henry Brown was an inventor who saw a need for a convenient and secure way to store money, valuables and important papers. At that time, people commonly kept those type of items in wooden or cardboard boxes in their homes or entrusted them to local banks. Both of these options presented dilemmas. While banks generally provided safety against theft, they did not prevent bank employees from reading through personal papers. At the same time, keeping the items at home could help to keep prying eyes away, but there was little to prevent burglars from quickly and easily grabbing valuables and making off with them.
Brown decided to create a safer container and developed a forged-metal container which could be sealed with a lock and key. He patented his receptacle for storing and preserving papers on November 2, 1886 and it developed into what is now known as a strongbox.
[ Last edited by changabula at 2007-6-7 08:57 PM ]
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-5-31 08:08 AM
George Carruthers
Often, greatness is determined by the times in which one finds oneself. For George Carruthers, growing up in the earliest stages of the space race, he like most other boys was fascinated with space travel. Unlike most of those boys, he would ultimately go on to make some of the greatest contribution to ever benefit the space program.
George Carruthers was born on October 1, 1939 in Cincinnati, Ohio. His father was a civil engineer while his mother was a homemaker. The family lived in Milford, Ohio and George was an avid science fiction reader and constructed model rockets with help and encouragement from his father. He also had an interest in astronomy and at age 10, built his first telescope with a cardboard tube and a lens he purchased through mail-order. When his father passed away suddenly, the family moved to his mother's hometown of Chicago, Illinois. There George spent a lot of time in the Chicago libraries and museums and in the Adler Planetarium He joined various science clubs and was a member of the Chicago Rocket Society. He read with particular interest about the space exploits of the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC and upon graduating from Englewood High School in 1957, he enrolled in the University of Illinois.
Carruthers stayed at the University of Illinois for seven years, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering in 1961, a Master's degree in Nuclear Engineering in 1962 and a Ph.D. in Aeronautical and Astronomical Engineering in 1964 (his thesis focused on atomic nitrogen recombination). In his own words, "[W]hen I was in college, I was undecided whether to pursue aerospace engineering or astronomy as my major, so I decided to take courses in both of them." While doing his graduate work, he also worked as a research and teaching assistant, working with plasma and gases. Upon finishing his Ph.D., he immediately accepted a position with the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) as a Research Physicist in 1964, having received a fellowship in Rocket Astronomy from the National Science Foundation.
Upon joining the NRL, Carruthers focused his attention on far ultraviolet astronomy, observing the Earth's upper atmosphere and other astronomical phenomena. In 1966, he became a research assistant at the NRL's E.O. Hulburt Center for Space Research where he began research on ways to create visual images as a means for understanding the physical elements of deep space. He particularly focused on creating a device to analyze and illuminate ultraviolet radiation. His belief was "[T]he far ultraviolet... is of great importance to the astronomer because it allows the detection and measurements of common elements (hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and many others) in their cool, unexcited state... This allows more accurate measurements of the compositions of interstellar gas, planetary atmospheres, etc. The ultraviolet also conveys important information on solid particles in interstellar space... and provides for much more accurate measurements of the energy output of very hot stars...". In 1969, Carruthers received a patent for his invention the "Image Converter for Detecting Electromagnetic Radiation Especially in Short Wave Lengths" which detected electromagnetic radiation in short wave lengths.
George CarruthersFurther extending his his research, he was the principle inventor of the Far Ultraviolet Camera/Spectrograph which would ultimately be used on the Apollo 16 mission to the moon. Ultraviolet (UV) light is the range of electromagnetic radiation that lies between visible light and X-Rays. UV light, thus allows us to take readings of and understand objects and elements in space that are unrecognizable to the naked eye. The 50 lbs., gold-plated camera system was able to record radiation existing in the upper half of the ultraviolet system of the atmosphere. The camera allowed views of stars and celestial bodies and looks into the solar system thousands of miles away, as well as of the earth. A second version of the camera was sent on the 1974 SkyLab space flight to study comets (it would be used to observe Halley's, West's and Kohoutek's comets). One of the great uses of the camera was to permit a viewer to visually see the effects of pollution on the atmosphere. The camera also was able, for the first time, to detect hydrogen in space, which gave an indication that plants were not the only source of oxygen for the Earth and led to a renewed debate about the origin of stars.
George Carruthers has continued to offer innovation in the areas of astronomy and physics and has been active in outreach programs seeking to bring science to youth around the country. He has been lauded for his efforts and achievements. He was named Black Engineer of the Year in 1987, awarded the Arthur Fleming Award in 1971, the Exceptional Achievement Scientific Award from NASA in 1972, the Warner Prize in 1973 and was inducted into National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2003. His success is primed to lead to greater achievements by those who follow in his footsteps in the future.
[ Last edited by changabula at 2007-5-31 08:09 AM ]
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-5-31 08:12 AM
George Washington Carver
George Washington Carver was born in 1860 in Diamond Grove, Missouri and despite early difficulties would rise to become one of the most celebrated and respected scientists in United States history. His important discoveries and methods enabled farmers through the south and midwest to become profitable and prosperous.
His master sent him to Neosho, Missouri for an early education and graduated from Minneapolis High School in Kansas. He eventually mailed an application to Highland University in Kansas and was not only accepted but also offered a scholarship. Happily, George traveled to the school to accept the scholarship but upon meeting George, the University president asked "why didn't you tell me you were a Negro?" and promptly withdrew the scholarship and the acceptance.
In 1887 Carver was accepted into Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa where he became well respected for his artistic talent (in later days his art would be included in the spectacular World's Columbian Exposition Art Exhibit.) Carver's interests, however, lay more in science and he transferred from Simpson to Iowa Agricultural College (which is now known as Iowa State University.) He distinguished himself so much that upon graduation he was offered a position on the school's faculty, the first Black accorded the honor. Carver was allowed great freedom in working in agriculture and botany in the University's greenhouses. In 1895, Carver co-authored a series of papers on the prevention and cures for fungus diseases affecting cherry plants.
In 1896 he received his master's degree in agriculture and in 1897 discovered two funguses that would be named after him. At this point, the most pivotal moment of his life arose - he was summoned by Booker T. Washington to teach at Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute. He was appointed director of agriculture and quickly set out to completely correct its wretched state. He was given a 20 acre shabby piece of land and along with his students planted peas on it. Like all legumes, the peas had nitrogen-fixing bacteria on their roots which took nitrogen from the air and converted it into nitrates which then worked to fertilize the soil. The depleted soil quickly became rich and fertile, so much so that he was able to grow 500 pounds of cotton on each acre of land he worked on.
Carver soon instructed nearby farmer on his methods of improving the soil and taught them how to rotate their crops to promote a better quality of soil. Most of the staple crops of the south (tobacco and cotton) stole nutrients from the soil, but these nutrients could be returned to the soil by planting legumes. Thus, in order to improve the soil, Carver instructed the farmers to plant peanuts, which could be harvested easily and fed to livestock. The farmers were ecstatic with the tremendous quality of cotton and tobacco they grew later but quickly grew angry because the amount of peanuts they harvested was too plentiful and began to rot in overflowing warehouses. Within a week, Carver had experimented with and devised dozens of uses for the peanut, including milk and cheese. In later years he would produce more than 300 products that could be developed from the lowly peanut, including ink, facial cream, shampoo and soap.
Suddenly, the same farmers who cursed him now found that a new industry had sprung up that could use their surplus peanuts. Next, Carver looked at ways of utilizing the sweet potato and was able to develop more than 115 products from it including flour, starch and synthetic rubber (the United States Army utilized many of his products during World War I.)
Carver did not stop with these discoveries. From the inexpensive pecan he developed more than 75 products, from discarded corn stalks dozens of uses and from common clays he created dyes and paints. Suddenly Carver's fame grew and grew until he was invited to speak before the United States Congress and was consulted by titans of industry and invention. Henry Ford, head of Ford Motor Company invited Carver to his Dearborn, Michigan plant where the two devised a way to use goldenrod, a plant weed, to create synthetic rubber. Thomas Edison, the great inventor was so enthusiastic about that he asked Carver to move to Orange Grove, New Jersey to work at the Edison Laboratories at an annual salary of $100,000 per year and state of the art facilities. He declined the generous offer, wanting to continue on at Tuskegee.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce of Britain in 1916, the Spingarn Medal from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1923, and in 1939 was awarded the Theodore Roosevelt Medal for "distinguished research in agricultural chemistry." He was appointed to various boards and committees by the United States Department of Agriculture and was named Man of the Year in 1940 by the International Federation of Architects, Engineers, Chemists and Technicians. Finally, he received honorary Doctor of Science degrees from Simpson College as well as the University of Rochester.
George Washington Carver died on January 5, 1943 on the campus of Tuskegee Institute. He was honored by various levels of State and Federal Government as well as by foreign leaders worldwide. The United States government designated the farmland upon which he grew up as a national monument and on January 5, 1946 as George Washington Carver day. He was truly a pioneer in his field and has become one of the few Black inventors recognized by mainstream America.
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Author: joey141 Time: 2007-5-31 09:48 AM Subject: America the Beautiful
Yes, my fellow Americans have made good use of the superior US educational system to become great inventors. I'm so proud of my fellow Americans. Thank you changabula for pointing out how great Americans are. Hopefully, there will be even more great black American inventors in years ahead.
Thank you for pointing out that black Americans and white Americans have invented more than the Chinese over the past 400 years.
Blacks and whites working together to make the world a better place. It's beautiful.
American mullatos (black and white) are some of the best athletes in the world:
Jason Kidd: NBA All-Star
Mike Bibby: NBA All-Star
Tony Parker: NBA All-Star
Deron Williams: NBA All-Star
Dan O'Brien: Gold medal winning decathlete
Rod Woodson: Pro Bowl American football player
Maurice Green: Olympic 100 meter gold medalist
Derek Jeter: All-Star baseball player
Together we are stronger!
Author: caringhk Time: 2007-5-31 02:27 PM
QUOTE:
Originally posted by joey141 at 2007-5-31 09:48
Yes, my fellow Americans have made good use of the superior US educational system to become great inventors. I'm so proud of my fellow Americans. Thank you changabula for pointing out how great ...
Yoy crate, you forgot
MJ,
Ella Fitzgerald,
Nat King Cole(the 1st person to live in all whites area)
,etc................
Author: tekvicious Time: 2007-5-31 09:50 PM
Joey...actually, most of these inventors made these contributions "IN SPITE" of the system.
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-1 07:48 PM
M. A. Cherry
M. A. Cherry developed two devices that would one day evolve into very useful items for transportation. The first device was called a velocipede and consisted of a metal frame upon which were attached two or three wheels. Someone sitting on the seat of the apparatus could propel themselves forward at considerable speeds by moving their feet along the ground in a fast walking or running motion. Cherry's model, which he patented on May 8, 1888, greatly improved upon other similar devices and has evolved into what are now known as the bicycle and the tricycle.
Seven years later, Cherry set out to solve a problem with streetcars. Whenever the front of a streetcar accidentally collided with another object, the streetcar was severely damaged, often having to be totally replaced. Cherry patented the street car fender on January 1, 1895 and added safety for passengers and employees. The fender, which was a piece of metal attached to the front of the streetcar, acted as a shock absorber, thereby diminishing the force of the impact in the event of an accident. This device has been modified through the years and is now used on most transportation devices.
http://www.blackinventor.com/
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-1 08:21 PM
David Crosthwait
David Crosthwait was born in Nashville, Tennessee and moved to Kansas City, Missouri where he attended high school. He went on to attend Purdue University where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in 1913 and a Master of Engineering degree in 1920.
In 1913 Crosthwait moved to Marshalltown, Iowa where he began working for the Durham Company, designing heating installations. In 1925 he was named the director of the research department, overseeing a staff of engineers and chemists. His research concerned heating and ventilating and in the coming years he obtained 39 patents for various devices including heating systems, vacuum pumps, refrigeration methods and processes and temperature regulating devices. His most famous creation was the heating system for New York's famous Radio City Music Hall.
http://www.blackinventor.com/
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blcrosthwait.htm
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-1 08:23 PM
George Crum
George Crum was the head chef at the Cary Moon's Lake House in Lake Saratoga, New York when he set out to prepare the evening dinner for the guests. He intended to make french fries but sliced the potatoes too thinly. After deep frying them he found them very thin and very crisp. The hungry guest did not seem to mind and George began preparing the potatoes this way and they would soon become known as potato chips.
While George Crum's creation came about accidentally, the potato chip industry produces billions of dollars in sales each year.
http://www.blackinventor.com/
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-1 08:25 PM
Mark Dean
Born in Jefferson City, Tennessee on March 2, 1957, Mark Dean found that success ran in his bloodlines. His grandfather was a high school principal and his father worked as a supervisor for the Tennessee Valley Authority Dam. A bright and energetic child, he often endured questions from grade school classmates, asking if he was really Black because Black people were not supposed to be that smart. Mark was an outstanding high school athlete as well as a straight A student. His success continued in college as he graduated at the top of his class with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Tennessee in 1979.
In 1980, Dean was invited to join IBM as an engineer. Despite his new position, he continued his education and received a Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering from Florida Atlantic University in 1982. In his capacity as an engineer for IBM, he didn't take long to make a big impact, serving as the chief engineer for the team that developed the IBM PC/AT, the original home/office computer. Along with his colleague Dennis Moeller, he developed the Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) systems bus, a component that allowed multiple peripheral devices such as a modems and printers to be connected to a PC, thus making the PC a practical and affordable component of the home or small business office. Dean would own three of the original nine patents that all PCs are based upon. Dean followed up with PS/2 Models 70 or 80, and the Color Graphics Adapter (which allowed for color display on the PC).
Mark Dean Despite his enormous success, Dean realized that there was more to learn and more than he could achieve, so he entered Stanford University and in 1992 received a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering. Five years later he was named as the director of the Austin Research Laboratory and director of Advanced Technology Development for the IBM Enterprise Server Group. Under his leadership, in 1999 his team made several significant breakthroughs including the testing of the first gigahertz CMOS microprocessor. With this great success he was named the vice president for Systems Research at IBM's Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, New York, then as a vice president in IBM's Storage Technology Group, focused on the company's storage systems strategy and technology roadmap. He was later named vice president for hardware and systems architecture in IBM's Systems and Technology Group (STG) in Tucson, Arizona and finally the vice president of the IBM Almaden Research Center in San Jose, California.
In addition to the prestigious titles with their inherent responsibilities, Dr. Dean was named an IBM fellow, the highest technical honor awarded by the company (only 50 of IBM's 310,000 employees are IBM Fellows and he was the first Black person so honored). In 1997, along with his friend Dennis Moeller, he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame (with Hall membership at around 150) and in 2001 was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineers. With more than 40 patents or patents pending, Dr. Dean is poised to continue his far reaching impact on the world of science and the home and workplace.
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-1 08:27 PM
Joseph Dickinson
(invented several improvements to different musical instruments.)
Joseph Dickinson was born in Canada in 1955 and moved to Michigan in 1870. He learned about various types of organs while working for the Clough and Warren Organ Company in Detroit in 1872. One of the organs he designed was awarded a prize at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1876 and Dickinson was quickly hired to build organs for major customers, including the Royal Family of Portugal.
After marrying Eva Gould in 1884, Dickinson formed the Dickinson-Gould Organ Company along with his father-in-law. The company manufactured reed organs and Dickinson received numerous patents for them, the last coming in 1912.
In particular, Joseph Dickinson invented an improvement to player pianos (patent below) that provided better actuation - the loudness or softness of the key strikes; and could play the sheet music from any point in the song.
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bl_Joseph_Hunter_Dickinson.htm
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-1 08:29 PM
P. B. Downing
In 1891, anyone interested in mailing a letter would have to make the long trip o the post office. P. B. Downing designed a metal box with four legs which he patented on October 27, 1891. He called his device a street letter box and it is the predecessor of today's mailbox.
One year earlier, Downing patented an electrical switch for railroads which allowed railroad workers to supply or shut off power to trains at appropriate times. Based on this design, innovators would later create electrical switches such as light switches used in the home.
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-1 08:32 PM
Charles Drew
(The Blood Bank)
Charles Drew was born on June 3, 1904 in Washington, D.C., the son of Richard and Nora Drew and eldest of five children. Charles was one of those rare individuals who seemed to excel at everything he did and on every level and would go on to become of pioneer in the field of medicine.
Charles' early interests were in education, particularly in medicine, but he was also an outstanding athlete. As a youngster he was an award winning swimmer and starred Dunbar High School in football, baseball, basketball and track and field, winning the James E. Walker Memorial medal as his school's best all around athlete. After graduation from Dunbar in 1922, he went on to attend Amherst College in Massachusetts where he captained the track team and starred as a halfback on the school's football team, winning the Thomas W. Ashley Memorial trophy in his junior year as the team most valuable player and being named to the All-American team. Upon graduation from Amherst in 1926 he was awarded the Howard Hill Mossman trophy as the man who contributed the most to Amherst athletics during his four years in school.
After graduation from Amherst, Drew took on a position as a biology teacher at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland and also served as the school's Athletic Director. During his two years at Morgan State, he helped to turn the school's basketball and football programs into collegiate champions.
In 1928, Charles decided to pursue his interest in medicine and enrolled at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. He was received as a member of the Medical Honorary Society and graduated in 1933 with Master of Surgery and Doctor of Medicine degrees, finishing second in his class of 127 students. He stayed in Montreal for a while as an intern at Montreal General Hospital and at the Royal Victoria Hospital. In 1935, he returned to the United States and began working as an instructor of pathology at Howard University in Washington, D.C. He was also a resident at Freedmen's Hospital (the teaching hospital for Howard University) and was awarded the Rockefeller Foundation Research Fellowship. He spent two years at Columbia University in New York attending classes and working as a resident at the Columbia University Presbyterian Hospital. During this time he became involved in research on blood and blood transfusions.
Years back, while a student at McGill, he had saved a man by giving him a blood transfusion and had studied under Dr. John Beattie, an instructor of anatomy who was intensely interested in blood transfusions. Now at Columbia, he wrote a dissertation on "Banked Blood" in which he described a technique he developed for the long-term preservation of blood plasma. Prior to his discovery, blood could not be stored for more than two days because of the rapid breakdown of red blood cells. Drew had discovered that by separating the plasma (the liquid part of blood) from the whole blood (in which the red blood cells exist) and then refrigerating them separately, they could be combined up to a week later for a blood transfusion. He also discovered that while everyone has a certain type of blood (A, B, AB, or O) and thus are prevented from receiving a full blood transfusion from someone with different blood, everyone has the same type of plasma. Thus, in certain cases where a whole blood transfusion is not necessary, it was sufficient to give a plasma transfusion which could be administered to anyone, regardless of their blood type. He convinced Columbia University to establish a blood bank and soon was asked to go to England to help set up that country's first blood bank. Drew became the first Black to receive a Doctor of Medical Science degree from Columbia and was now gaining a reputation worldwide.
On September 29, 1939, Charles married Lenore Robbins, with whom he would have four children. At the same time, however, World War II was breaking out in Europe. Drew was named the Supervisor of the Blood Transfusion Association for New York City and oversaw its efforts towards providing plasma to the British Blood Bank. He was later named a project director for the American Red Cross but soon resigned his post after the United States War Department issued a directive that blood taken from White donors should be segregated from that of Black donors.
In 1942, Drew returned to Howard University to head its Department of Surgery, as well as the Chief of Surgery at Freedmen's Hospital. Later he was named Chief of Staff and Medical Director for the Hospital. In 1948 he was awarded the Spingarn Medal from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People for his work on blood plasma. He was also presented with the E. S. Jones Award for Research in Medical Science and became the first Black to be appointed an examiner by the American Board of Surgery. In 1945 he was presented honorary degrees of Doctor of Science from Virginia State College as well as Amherst College where he attended as an undergraduate student. In 1946 he was elected Fellow of the International College of Surgeons and in 1949 appointed Surgical Consultant for the United States Army's European Theater of Operations.
Charles Drew died on April 1, 1950 when the automobile he was driving went out of control and turned over. Drew suffered extensive massive injuries but contrary to popular legend was not denied a blood transfusion by an all-White hospital - he indeed received a transfusion but was beyond the help of the experienced physicians attending to him. His family later wrote letters to those physicians thanking them for the care they provided. Over the years, Drew has been considered one of the most honored and respected figures in the medical field and his development of the blood plasma bank has given a second chance of live to millions.
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bldrew.htm
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-1 08:35 PM
T. Elkins
(An improved refrigerator design)
T. Elkins designed a device that helped with the task of preserving perishable foods by way of refrigeration. At the time, the common way of accomplishing this was by placing items in a large container and surrounding them with large blocks of ice. Unfortunately, the ice generally melted very quickly and the food soon perished.
Elkins' device utilized metal cooling coils which became very cold and would cool down items which they surrounded. The coils were enclosed within a container and perishable items were placed inside. The coils cooled the container to temperature significantly lower than that inside of a room thereby keeping the perishable items cool and fresh for longer periods of time.
Elkins patented this refrigerated apparatus on November 4, 1879 and had previously patented a chamber commode in 1872 and a dining, ironing table and quilting frame combined in 1870.
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blelkinpatents.htm
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-1 08:37 PM
Philip Emeagwali
The early life of Philip Emeagwali seemed destined for poverty in his native land of Nigeria. He was the oldest of nine children and his father, who worked as a nurse's aide, earned only a modest income. As a result, at age 14, Philip was forced to drop out of school in Onitsha. Because he had shown such great promise in mathematics, his father encouraged him to continue learning at home. Every evening, Philip's father would quiz him in math as well as other subjects. He would ask these questions in a rapid-fire manner, prompting Philip to think quickly on his feet. Eventually, Philip was tasked to answer 100 question in an hour, which to his father's delight, he succeeded in. Unable to attend school, Philip instead journeyed to the public library, spending most of his day there. He sped through books appropriate for his age and moved up to college-level material, studying mathematics, chemistry, physics and English. After a period of study, he applied to take the General Certificate of Education exam (a high-school equivalency exam) through the University of London and he passed it easily.
Having achieved this success, he decided to apply to colleges in Europe and the United States and at age 17 was offered a scholarship by Oregon State University in the United States. He began his studies at Oregon State in 1974 and received a Bachelor Degree in Mathematics in 1977. He then moved to the Washington, D.C. area and received a Master's Degree in Environmental Engineering from George Washington University in 1981 and a second Master's Degree in Applied Mathematics from the University of Maryland in 1986. During the same period of time he received another Master's Degree from George Washington University, this time in Ocean, Coastal and Marine Engineering. He worked for a period of time as a civil engineer in Maryland and Wyoming, but his real success was yet to come.
George CarruthersIn 1987, the Emeagwali was accepted into the University of Michigan's Civil Engineering doctoral program and received a doctoral fellowship. At the time, in the United States, the government and many in academia contended that there were 20 Grand Challenges that faced the world in the areas of science and engineering. One of these challenges was petroleum reservoir simulation. In the petroleum industry, oil is generally found within underground rocks in reservoirs. The oil is extracted by drilling down into the rock and extracting the oil but because of the uncertainties of locating the pocket of oil, industry experts could only confidently hope to extract 10 percent of the oil within a known reservoir and that was done by utilizing supercomputers (which could cost upwards of $30 million) to simulate oil fields and anticipate the flow of the oil therein. In order to extract the oil, water or gas must be pumped into the field to force it upwards. Unfortunately, if done incorrectly, the oil could be forced into an inaccessible pocket and the natural oil flow could be interrupted, thus forcing the oil company to commence drilling again, at considerable expense. Emeagwali, having grown up in Nigeria which boasted grand oil reservoirs., understood that at the time, with oil selling for $20.00 per barrel, just a one percent increase in production from a 20 billion barrel field would result in another $400 million yield, a staggering amount. As part of his doctoral dissertation, he decided to take on the challenge.
Emeagwali had read a 1922 science fiction article written by Lewis Fry Richardson entitled "Weather prediction by numerical processes" which suggested using 64,000 mathematicians do weather forecasting for the entire planet. Based on this article and on the work of German mathematician Paul Fillunger and Russian mathematician B. K. Risenkampf (in partial differential equations), Emeagwali determined that rather than using a supercomputer that used 8 processors, he would instead use 65,536 microprocessors (a microprocessor is basically what is found in desktop computers) to work the necessary computations. He based his decision on an old premise that a large number of chickens, if coordinated in strength and efficiency, will be able to do a better job than a small number of oxen. Thus, his 65,536 microprocessors would work together as chickens and theorized that the could outwork the eight processor (eight oxen) supercomputer. He originally theorized that the 64,000 processors could be used instead of mathematicians to predict the Earth' weather, but then decided to turn his theory towards the petroleum reservoir simulation.The obvious problem was how to gain access to that many computers and how to connect them. Instead he turned to the Connection Machine, a device developed by a company called Thinking Machines. The machine was designed such that it could contain within it up to 65,536 microprocessors interconnected, each with its own RAM and each processing one bit at a time. Emeagwali found that there was a Connection Machine at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (NANL) in New Mexico. Scientists were having a difficult time programming the computer to simulate nuclear blasts and it sat unused for much of the time. He submitted an application and NANL approved his use the their Connection Machine which he accessed remotely through the Internet from Michigan. After setting the parameters, Emeagwali ran his program and was astounded when the machine was able to perform 3.1 billion calculations per second. The program had also determined the amount of oil in the simulated reservoir, the direction of flow and the speed at which it was flowing at each point. The impact of his experiment was immense. By discovering a practical application for utilizing supercomputers, he opened up a whole new market for them. Just seven years later it was estimated that 10 percent of massively parable computers had been purchased by the petroleum industry. Furthermore, it provided the theory of connecting computer around the world to provide a scalable, network through which to share and process information. Using this concept in conjunction with the existing internet backbone, the world wide web would emerge as an new entity for providing communications and enhancing commerce. In 1989, in acknowledgement of his discovery, Emeagwali was awarded the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Gordon Bell Prize which recognizes outstanding achievement in high-performance computing applications.
George CarruthersEncouraged by his success and newly found status, Emeagwali moved forward with further research and provided new theories and concepts for computer design. Many of these were based on the idea that computers were simply an extension of the function of nature and thus that they should be designed based on nature. One of his theories is aimed at exploring long-term effects of greenhouse gases and global warming. Emeagwali offered a new design for a computer based on honeycombs. Based on the theory of tessellated models, Emeagwali broke the Earth's atmosphere into sections that resembled honeycombs created by bees. He reasoned that bees are able to use the most efficient methods to develop their honeycombs and that following principles of honeycomb design in a computer will allow it to work in an optimal fashion. He believes that his hyperball computer will allow for weather forecasting far into the future and for simulated global warming trends in order to address the problem.
In addition to the aforementioned concept, Emeagwali have created hundreds more. He has lectured around the world and been lauded by for his achievements. He was named the Pioneer of the Year by the National Society of Black Engineers, as well as Scientist of the Year in 1991, the Computer Scientist of the Year by America's National Technical Association in 1993 along with dozens of other tributes.
For someone who was born with little, Philip Emeagwali was able to achieve a lot and has served as an inspiration to millions of people, especially in Nigeria. Former United States President Bill Clinton summed up worldwide sentiment by declaring Emeagwali "One of the great minds of the Information Age."
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-1 08:39 PM
H. Faulkner
In 1890, H. Faulkner decided to work on a problem that caused suffering in people everyday - foot problems caused by lack of ventilation inside of shoes. For years people constantly complained about blisters and sores on their feet as well as excessive sweating and aching caused by walking and standing with shoes on which offered no cooling air to circulate within. Faulkner devised a method for placing holes in specific locations within the shoe, thus allowing for adequate circulation and greater comfort.
Faulkner patented the ventilated shoe on April 29, 1890 and thereby helped to provide comfort and healthy feet to the world.
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-1 08:40 PM
D. A. Fisher
D. A. Fisher responded to the needs of furniture workers by trying to make their work easier, safer and more productive. He created and patented two devices which eased the burden of these workers and improved their efforts.
His first invention was aimed at freeing up time for carpenters and furniture makers. At the time, when furniture was being put together, a worker was forced to work in slow steps, pausing at various times to combine pieces of wood together in order to allow glue to bind them. Fisher solved this delay by developing the joiner's clamp, which he patented on April 20, 1875. The joiner's clamp consisted of two pieces of wood connected by two screws. When tightened, the screws pushed the pieces of wood together. He used this device to hold together furniture parts as they were glued, thus freeing the worker to continuing assembling the item. By using applied, balanced pressure, the joiner's clamp caused the wood to bind together, faster and stronger than was previously possible.
Another dilemma facing workers in the furniture industry was the laborious task of moving heavy pieces of furniture. In addition to having to concern themselves with their own physical safety, they also had to worry about dropping the furniture and damaging other items in the room by bumping into them. On March 14, 1876, Fisher patented the furniture caster. This device was a free turning wheel that could (when combined with a few others) allow heavy items to move around a room on rollers, safely and efficiently. This enabled one person to move large pieces of furniture, allowing other workers to tend to other items. This device is now used in almost every industry a well as in most homes.
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-1 08:43 PM
James Forten
James Forten was born in 1766 as a free Black man in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Over the course of his lifetime, he would make an impact upon the fortunes of industries and the lives of his fellow man.
Forten was the son of Thomas and Sarah Forten and the grandson of slaves. He was raised in Philadelphia and educated in Anthony Benezet's Quaker school for colored children. At age eight, James began working for Robert Bridges sail loft, and worked alongside his father. A year later his father died in a boating accident and James was forced to take on additional work to provide for his family.
When he turned 14 he worked as a powder boy during the Revolutionary War on the Royal Lewis sailing ship. After being captured by the British, he was released and returned home to again begin working in Mr. Bridges loft. Pleased with his work and ambition, Mr. Bridges eventually appointed him to the foreman's position in the loft. In 1798 Bridges decided to retire and wanted Forten to remain in charge of the loft. He loaned enough money to Forten to purchase the loft and soon James owned the business, employing 38 people.
Around this time, Forten began experimenting with different types of sails for ships and finally invented one that he found was better suited for maneuvering and maintaining greater speeds. Although he did not patent the sail, he was able to benefit financially, as his sailing loft became one of the most successful and prosperous ones in Philadelphia.
The fortune he soon made was enormous for any man, Black or White. Forten spent his money and lived a luxurious life, but he also made good use of his resources on people other than his self. More than half of his considerable fortune was devoted towards abolitionist causes. He often purchased slaves freedom, helped to finance and bring in funding for William Garrison's newspaper, the Libertarian, opened his home on Lombard Street as an Underground Railroad depot and opened a school for Black children.
James Forten died in 1842 after living an incredible life. His early years were devoted to providing for his mother, his middle years towards building his fortune and supporting his family and his later years to uplifting his fellow man. He was not only a great inventor, but an even greater man.
[ Last edited by changabula at 2007-6-1 08:44 PM ]
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Author: tekvicious Time: 2007-6-1 08:45 PM
Wow...this is another super informative thread, just like the Chinese one that you made...very well presented.
I'm learning stuff that I didn't know...again.
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-1 08:45 PM
Sarah E. Goode
Sarah E. Goode was the owner of a furniture store in Chicago, Illinois. Her claim to fame is that she was the first Black Woman to receive a patent.
In an effort to help people maximize their limited space, Goode invented a Folding Cabinet Bed. The Cabinet Bed when folded up resembled a desk which included compartments for stationary and writing instruments. Goode received her patent on July 14, 1885.
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-1 08:47 PM
I didn't realise that there was so much information!
QUOTE:
Originally posted by tekvicious at 2007-6-1 20:45
Wow...this is another super informative thread, just like the Chinese one that you made...very well presented.
I'm learning stuff that I didn't know...again.
Thanks.
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-1 08:49 PM
Meredith Gourdine
Meredith Charles "Flash" Gourdine was born on September 26, 1929 in Newark, New Jersey. His father worked as a painter and janitor and instilled within his son the importance of a strong work ethic. Meredith attended Brooklyn Technical High School and after classes he helped his father on various jobs, often working eight hour days. However, his father believed that education was more important than just developing into a hard worker and he told him "If you don't want to be a laborer all your life, stay in school." Meredith minded his father's advice, excelling in academics. He was also an excellent athlete, competing in track and field and swimming during his senior year. He did well enough in swimming to be offered a scholarship to the University of Michigan, but he turned it down to enter Cornell University. He paid his way through Cornell for his first two years before receiving a track and field scholarship after his sophomore year. He competed in sprints, hurdles and the long jump. Standing 6' and weighing 175 lbs., he starred for his school, winning four titles at the Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America championship and led Cornell to a second place finish at the 1952 NCAA Track and Field Championship (The University of Southern California won the meet but boasted 36 athletes while Cornell had only five c). Gourdine was so heralded that he was chosen to represent the United States at the 1952 Summer Olympic Games in Helsinki, Finland. He received a silver medal in the long jump competition, losing to fellow American Jerome Biffle by one and a half inches. "I Would have rather lost by a foot," he would later say. "I still have nightmares about it."
After graduating from Cornell with a Bachelor's Degree in Engineering Physics in 1953, he entered the United States Navy as an officer. He soon returned to academia, entering the California Institute of Technology, the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship. He received a Ph.D. in Engineering Science in 1960. During his time at Cal. Tech., he served on the Technical Staff of the Ramo-Woolridge Corporation and then as a Senior Research Scientist at the Cal. Tech. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. After graduation, he became a Lab Director for the Plasmodyne Corporation until 1962 when he joined the Curtiss-Wright Corporation, serving as Chief Scientist.
In 1964, Gourdine borrowed $200,000.00 from family and friends and opened Gourdine Laboratories, a research laboratory located in Livingston, New Jersey and at its height he employed 150 people. In 1973, he founded and served as CEO for Energy Innovation, Inc. in Houston, Texas which produced direct-energy conversion devices (converting low-grade coal into inexpensive, transportable and high-voltage electrical energy). His company's performed research and development, specifically in the fields of electrogasdynamics. Electrogasdynamics refers to the generation of energy from the motion of ionized (electrically charged) gas molecules under high pressure. His biggest creation was the Incineraid system, which was used to disperse smoke from burning buildings and could be used to disperse fog on airport runways. The Incineraid system worked by negatively charging smoke or fog, causing the airborne particles within to be electro magnetically charged and then to fall to the ground. The result was clean air and a clear area. He also received patents for the Focus Flow Heat Sink, which was used to cool computer chips as well as for processes for desalinating sea water, for developing acoustic imaging, and for a high-powered industrial paint spray.
George CarruthersOver his career Gourdine held over 30 patents and many of his creations serve as the basis for allergen-filtration devices common to households across the world. He was inducted into the Engineering and Science Hall of Fame in 1994. Towards his latter years, he suffered from diabetes, and lost his sight as well as one leg due to the disease.
Meredith Gourdine died on November 20, 1998, due to complications from multiples strokes. He left behind a legacy of research, design and innovation that will continue to have an impact for many years.
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-1 08:52 PM
George F. Grant
George F. Grant knew what most of us have come to recognize - the average golfer is a hacker, destroying grass courses and terrorizing other golfers, homeowners and passersby with wild, dangerous drives. Although he loved the game, he grew frustrated trying to keep the ball from rolling away from him as he attempted to tee off and did not want to swing at the ball while it was moving , thus sending off a wild shot.
On December 12, 1899, Grant patented a golf tee which raised the golf ball (made of rubber at that time) slightly off of the ground, enabling the player greater control with his wooden club and therefore of the direction and speed of the drive. The tee was made of a small wooden peg with a concave piece of rubber on top to hold the ball and in addition to helping with control over the direction of the shot, it also aided in promoting longer drives.
George Grant's small invention has become a standard piece of equipment for all golfers.
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-1 08:53 PM
Lloyd Hall
Lloyd Hall was born on June 20, 1894 in Elgin, Illinois. He was an honor student while attending West Side High School in Aurora, Illinois and captained the school debate team while competing in baseball, football and track. Lloyd graduated High School in the top 10 of his class and had to choose between four college scholarship offers. He decided to attend nearby Northwestern University, earning a Bachelor Degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry in 1916.
While at Northwestern, Hall attended classes with a fellow student named Carroll L. Griffith who would later go on to become the founder of Griffith Laboratories. After graduation, Hall earned a graduate degree from the University of Chicago.
Hall was soon hired by the Western Electric Company through a telephone interview. When he showed up for his first day, however, he was told by a personnel officer that "we don't take niggers." Recovering from this slight, he began working for the Chicago Department of Health as a chemist and was promoted in 1917 to senior chemist. The next year he moved to Ottumwa, Iowa where he held the position of chief chemist at the John Morrell Company. During this time, World War I broke out and Hall received an appointment as Chief Inspector of Powder and Explosives for the United States Ordnance Department.
On September 23, 1919 Lloyd married Myrrhene Newsome, a teacher from Macomb, Illinois. Two years later, the couple moved to Chicago where Lloyd began working for the Boyer Chemical Laboratory where he took the position of chief chemist and focused on the emerging field of food chemistry, and began looking at a way of preserving meats with chemicals. In 1922 he moved on to Chemical Products Corporation where he served as President and Chemical director of their consulting laboratory and often consulted with Griffith Laboratories. In 1925, Hall was offered a position with Griffith Laboratories as chief chemist and director of research. Griffith Laboratories, of course, had been founded by Hall's former classmate Carroll Griffith and after years of moving from company to company, Hall accepted the position and remained there for the next 34 years.
Hall had been working for a number of years exploring different areas of food chemistry and upon joining Griffith Laboratories began looking into methods for preserving foods. Up to that point, foods, and especially meats had been preserved by using sodium chloride (table salt). As well, nitrogen-containing chemicals were also used to preserve meats. It was found that nitrates chemically changed into nitrites and then into nitrous acid which caused the meats to maintain a healthy, red color (the process was referred to as curing meat). Hall found, however, that when sodium chloride, sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite were used in order to preserve and cure the meat, the nitrates and nitrites penetrated the meat much faster than did the sodium chloride. In doing so, the nitrates and nitrites adversely affected the meat by breaking it down before the sodium chloride had a chance to preserve it. In order to correct this, Hall found a while of encasing the nitrates and nitrites within a sodium chloride "shell" by utilizing a process called "flash-drying" the crystals over heated rollers. This allowed the sodium nitrate to be introduced to the meats first and dissolved, and then the nitrates and nitrites were able to penetrate the "preserved" meat and therefore "cure" it.
Hall next addressed a problem which arose when meats were stored in containers. The sodium chloride/nitrate/nitrite combination tended to absorb the moisture from the air inside or the container and caused them to form a caked mass on top of the meat. Hall was able to determine that by adding a glycerine and alkali metal tartrate to the original combination, the glycerine and tartrate would effectively absorb the moisture without "caking" and thus preventing the chloride/nitrate/nitrite combination from absorbing it.
Hall also maintained an interest in sterilizing foods, utensils and tools. Although many people thought that certain spices and flavorings also had the added benefit of preserving foods, Hall found that many of these agents actually exposed the foods to an abundance of germs, molds and bacteria. Hall set out to prevent this while at the same time allowing the spices and flavorings to retain the aroma and color (many of these lost their color and aroma and flavor when exposed to high (sterilizing temperatures.) He eventually found a gas called ethylene oxide, which he introduced to the foods within a vacuumed environment which eliminated the germs and bacteria while maintaining appearances, taste and aroma.
These contributions to food preservation and sterilization revolutionized the way foods were processed, prepared, packed and transported, eliminating spoilage and health hazards and improving efficiency and profitability for food suppliers. In the course of his work, Hall would publish more than 5 scientific papers and receive more than 100 patents. He also served as an advisor to the United States during two World Wars, served on dozens of advisory panels and boards and received hundreds of awards and accolades.
In 1959 Hall retired from Griffith Laboratories and moved to Pasadena, California where he died in 1971. He left behind a legacy as a pioneer in the field of food chemistry and is responsible for improving health conditions in all areas of the food industry.
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-1 08:54 PM
J. Hawkins
J. Hawkins developed what are now known as metal oven racks to aid in home cooking. The oven racks were based on gridirons, which were metal racks attached to a wooden handle and were placed on a campfire or placed inside of a fireplace to heat or broil various types of meat. By the early 1800's, gridirons were not used as much as most homes had begun using kitchen stoves upon which to cook.
Hawkins received a patent for the improved gridiron on May 26, 1845. The device allowed for different items to be cooked at different level of heat intensity, thus enabling cooks to heat several types of food at once.
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-1 08:56 PM
Thomas Jennings
Thomas Jennings stands in history as a noteworthy figure for being the first Black person to ever receive a patent, but his life should serve as an example of what was, and what could have been, for Black people in the earliest years of the United States.
Thomas Jennings was born in 1891 and worked in a number of jobs before focusing on what would become his chosen career... as a tailor. Jennings' skills were so admired that people near and far came to him to alter or custom-tailor items of clothing for them. Eventually, Jennings reputation grew such that he was able to open his own store on Church street which grew into one of the largest clothing stores in New York City.
Jennings, of course, found that many of his customers were dismayed when their clothing became soiled, and because of the material used, were unable to use conventional means to clean them. Conventional methods would often ruin the fabric, leaving the person to either continue wearing the items in their soiled condition or to simply discard them. While this would have provided a boon to his business through increased sales, Jennings also hated to see the items, which he worked so hard to create, thrown away. He thus set out experimenting with different solutions and cleaning agents, testing them on various fabrics until he found the right combination to effectively treat and clean them. He called his method "dry-scouring" and it is the process that we now refer to as dry-cleaning.
In 1820, Jennings applied for a patent for his dry-scouring process. In light of the times, he was fortunate that he was a free man, born in the United States, and thus an American citizen. Under the United States patent laws of 1793 (and later, as revised in 1836) a person must sign an oath or declaration stating that they were a citizen of the United States. While there were, apparently, provisions through which a slave could enjoy patent protection, the ability of a slave to seek out, receive and defend a patent was unlikely. Later, in 1958, the patent office changed the laws, stating that since slaves were not citizens, they could not hold a patent. Furthermore, the court (in the famous case Oscar Stuart vs. Ned case) said that the slave owner, not being the true inventor could not apply for a patent either. In true irony, when many of the southern states seceded from the Union to form the Confederate States of America, CSA President Jefferson Davis signed into law legislation permitting slaves to hold patents. For Thomas Jennings, none of this mattered because as a free man, not only was he able to receive a patent, but he was also to utilize it for his financial gain. In fact, he made a fortune.
What makes Jennings noteworthy is not just that he was an entrepreneur or that he received a patent, or even the fact that he became very wealthy. What is noteworthy is that he took a vast amount of the proceeds of his business and poured it into abolitionist activities throughout the Northeast. In fact, in 1831, he became the assistant secretary for the First Annual Convention of the People of Color in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He passed this sense of self-worth to his daughter Elizabeth, who was forced off of a public bus in New York City which she riding to go to church. Because of her father's prominence and wealth, she was able to obtain the best legal representation and hired the law firm of Culver, Parker, and Arthur to sue the bus company and was represented in court by a young attorney named Chester Arthur, who would go on to become the 21st President of the United States. Ms. Jennings would ultimately win her case in front of the Brooklyn Circuit Court in 1855.
Thomas Jennings will go down in history as the first Black person to obtain a patent, but he should rather be seen as an example of a citizen who made the best of his life and sought to use his good fortune to make life better for those around him.
[ Last edited by changabula at 2007-6-1 09:01 PM ]
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-1 08:59 PM
Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson is one of the most interesting inventors ever, not simply because of his invention but more so because of his celebrated and controversial life. Johnson was born on March 31, 1878 in Galveston, Texas under the name John Arthur Johnson and spent much of his teenage life working on boats and along the city's docks. He began boxing in 1897 and quickly became an accomplished and feared fighter. Standing 6' 1" and weighing 192 lbs., Johnson captured the "Colored Heavyweight Championship of the World" on February 3, 1903 in Los Angeles, California and became the World Heavyweight Champion in 1908. He defeated Tommy Burns for the title and thereby became the first Black man to hold the World Heavyweight Title, a fact that did not endear him to the hearts of white boxing fans. Johnson was extremely confident about his capabilities, and defeated everyone he faced with ease. He also bucked many of the social "rules" of the day and openly dated White women. This eventually got him into trouble in 1912 when he was arrested for violation of the Mann Act, a law often used to prevent Black men from traveling with white women. He was charged with taking his White girlfriend, Lucille Cameron, across state lines across state lines for "immoral purposes." Although he and Lucille married later in the year, he was convicted of the crime by Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis (who would later become the Commissioner of Major League Baseball) and was sentenced to Federal prison for one year. Before he could be imprisoned, he and Lucille fled to Europe.
Johnson eventually returned to the United States and was sent to Leavenworth Federal Prison in Kansas. While in prison, Johnson found need for a tool which would help tighten of loosening fastening devices. He therefore crafted a tool and eventually patented it on April 18, 1922, calling it a wrench.
Jack Johnson died on June 10, 1946 in an automobile accident in Raleigh, North Carolina and was elected to the Boxing Hall of Fame in 1954. Although many boxing fans are unaware of the life of the first Black Heavyweight Boxing Champion, they probably utilize his invention routinely around their homes.
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-1 09:04 PM
Lonnie Johnson
You don't have to be a rocket scientist to come up with a great idea, but it certainly doesn't hurt. For Lonnie Johnson, a lifetime of achievement and success at various levels on government and private sector projects could not prepare him for the success the he would ultimately achieve - by building a better squirt-gun.
Lonnie Johnson was born on October 6, 1949 in Mobile, Alabama. His father worked as a civilian driver at Brookley Air Force Base, and his mother was a homemaker who worked part time as a nurse's aide. His father taught Robert and his brothers how to repair various household items, prompting the boys to create their own toys. The boys once made a go-kart out of household items and a lawn mower motor. Although his parents were excited about his interest in science and inventing, they weren't prepared for the time he decided to experiment with a rocket fuel he created with sugar and saltpeter which exploded and burned up part of the kitchen. His talents were more refined when he attended Williamson High School and in 1968, as a senior, took part in a national science competition sponsored by the University of Alabama. There he displayed a remote controlled robot named "Linex" which he built from scraps found at a junkyard and parts of his brothers' walkie-talkie and his sisters' reel-to-reel tape recorder. He placed first in the competition and entered Tuskeegee University on a mathematics scholarship. At Tuskeegee he was elected into the Pi Tau Sigma National Engineering Honor Society and graduated with distinction in 1973 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. He continued on at Tuskeegee and received a Master's Degree in Nuclear Engineering in 1975.
After graduation, he took a position at the Savannah River National Laboratory, conducting thermal analysis on plutonium fuel spheres. He later served as a research engineer, developing cooling systems at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. He then joined the Air Force and was assigned to the Air Force Weapons Laboratory in Albuquerque, New Mexico where he served as the Acting Chief of the Space Nuclear Power Safety Section. In 1973, he left the Air Force and took over as Senior Systems Engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. He worked on the Galileo Mission to Jupiter, but returned in 1982 to his military career. He worked at the Strategic Air Command (SAC) facility in Bellevue, Nebraska and then moved to the SAC Test and Evaluation Squadron at Edwards Air Force Base in Edwards, California where he worked on the Stealth Bomber. He also worked as Acting Chief at the Space Nuclear Power Safety Section of the Air Force Weapon Laboratory at Kirkland Air Force Base in New Mexico. A Captain, he was awarded the Air Force Achievement Medal and the Air Force Commendation Medal. In 1987, Johnson returned to his work at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory where he worked on the Mars Observer project, and served as the fault protection engineer on the Saturn Cassini mission project. He later worked as a project engineer for the Kraft mission which studied asteroids.
Earlier, around 1982, he was working on developing a heat pump that would work by circulating water rather than expensive and environmentally unfriendly freon. In his basement at home, he took some tubing with a specially devised nozzle on the other end and connected it to a bathroom sink. When he turned on the faucet, a stream of water shot out of the nozzle across the room with such force that the air currents caused the curtain to move. His first thought was "this would make a great water gun."
Johnson set out to develop a pressurized water gun that was safe enough for children to play with. Water guns at the time very unsophisticated and cheaply made, able to shoot streams of water about eight feet. Using basic tools, he combined a PVC pipe, a piece of plexiglas and an empty plastic soda bottle. His invention worked by partially filling a reservoir tank with water and then using a handle to force air into the chamber. When the trigger was pulled, the air pressure would force water to exit through a narrow hole, launching a blast of water more than 25 feet. He called his invention a "pneumatic water gun" and he continue revising it until it could shoot almost 50 feet. When he had developed a working model (which he called the Power Drencher), he and his partner Bruce D'Andrade began trying to market it while trying to secure a patent for it. They first tried to market it to Daisy Manufacturing, the BB Gun manufacturing giant, but no deal could be worked out after two years of negotiations. After securing the patent in 1991 (the toy was now called the Super Soaker), Johnson was introduced to Al Davis, an executive with Larimi Corp. at a New York City Toy Fair. Two weeks later Johnson was in Larimi's headquarters in Philadelphia. The executives watching the demonstration all exclaimed "Wow!" Their only concern was whether anyone would pay $10.00 for a squirt gun. After signing a deal with Johnson's company (Johnson Research and Development Co., Inc.) they would all be in for a big surprise.
Lonnie JohnsonWithin a year, all involved knew they had a runaway hit. On the popular Tonight Show, host Johnny Carson used a Super Soaker to drench his sidekick Ed McMahon. Within 10 years more than 200 million Super Soakers had been sold. The gun had gone through many modifications and expansions, with new product lines, and became the toy of the decade. Johnson continued inventing and would eventually hold more than 80 patents. For his contributions to science (and in light of his great success with the Super Soaker) Johnson was inducted into the Inventor Hall of Fame in 2000. His company has continued to innovate, creating improved radon detectors, heat pumps and lithium battery products as well as new toy concepts.
Lonnie Johnson didn't have to be a rocket scientist to become a worldwide success.... but it sure gave him something to fall back upon.
[ Last edited by changabula at 2007-6-1 09:05 PM ]
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-1 09:06 PM
W. Johnson
On February 5, 1884, W. Johnson patented a device made up of a handle attached to a series of spring-like whisk wires used to help mix ingredients. Prior to his eggbeater, all mixing of ingredients was done by hand.and was quite labor-intensive and time-consuming.
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-1 09:10 PM
Fred Jones
(Made Mobile Refrigeration Possible)
Fred McKinley Jones is certainly one of the most important Black inventors ever based on the sheer number of inventions he formulated as well as their diversity.
Fred Jones was born on May 17, 1893 in Covington, Kentucky. His father was a white railroad worker of Irish descent and his mother was Black. It is believed that his mother died while he was young and Fred was raised by his father. When Fred was eight years old, his father took him to Cincinnati, Ohio to where they visited St. Mary's Catholic Church rectory. Fred's father urged Father Edward A. Ryan to take Fred in in order to expose him to an environment where he might have a better opportunity for gaining an education. Fred performed chores around the church in return for being fed and housed, cutting the grass, shoveling snow, scrubbing floors and learning to cook. At an early age, Fred demonstrated a great interest in mechanical working, whether taking apart a toy, a watch or a kitchen appliance. Eventually he became interested in automobiles, so much so that upon turning 12 years of age, he ran away from his home at the rectory and began working at the R.C. Crothers Garage.
Initially hired to sweep and clean the garage, Fred spent much of his time observing the mechanics as they worked on cars. His observation, along with a voracious appetite for learning through reading developed within Fred an incredible base of knowledge about automobiles and their inner workings. Within three years, Fred had become the foreman of the garage. The garage was primarily designed to repair automobiles brought in by customers but also served as a studio for building racing cars. After a few years of building these cars, Fred desired to drive them and soon became one of the most well known racers in the Great Lakes region. After brief stints working aboard a steamship and a hotel, Jones moved to Hallock, Minnesota began designing and building racecars which he drove them at local tracks and at county fairs. His favorite car was known as Number 15 and it was so well designed it not only defeated other automobile but once triumphed in a race against an airplane.
On August 1, 1918 Jones enlisted in the 809 Pioneer Infantry of the United States Army and served in France during World War I. While serving, Jones recruited German prisoners of war and rewired his camp for electricity, telephone and telegraph service. After being discharged by the Army, Fred returned to Hallock in 1919. Looking for work, Jones often aided local doctors by driving them around for housecalls during the winter season. When navigation through the snow proved difficult, Fred attached skis to the undercarriage of an old airplane body and attached an airplane propeller to a motor and soon whisked around town a high speeds in his new snowmachine. Over the next few years Fred began tinkering with almost everything he could find, inventing things he could not find and improving upon those he could. When one of the doctors he worked for on occasion complained that he wished he did not have to wait for patient to come into his office for x-ray exams, Jones created a portable x-ray machine that could be taken to the patient. Unfortunately, like many of his early inventions, Jones never thought to apply for a patent for machine and watched helplessly as other men made fortunes off of their versions of the device. Undaunted, Jones set out for other projects, including a radio transmitter, personal radio sets and eventually motion picture devices.
In 1927, Jones was faced with the problem of helping friend convert their silent movie theater into a "talkie" theater. Not only did he convert scrap metal into the parts necessary to deliver a soundtrack to the video, he also devised ways to stabilize and improve the picture quality. When Joe Numero, the head of Ultraphone Sound Systems heard about Fred's devices, he invited Fred to come to Minneapolis for a job interview. After taking a position with the company, Fred began improving on many of the existing devices the company sold. Many of his improvements were so significant, representatives from A.T. & T and RCA sat down to talk with Fred and were amazed at the depth of his knowledge on intricate details, particularly in light of his limited educational background. Around this time, Fred came up with a new idea - an automatic ticket-dispensing machine to be used at movie theaters. Fred applied for and received a patent for this device in June of 1939 and the patent rights were eventually sold to RCA.
At some point, Joe Numero was presented with the task of developing a device which would allow large trucks to transport perishable products without them spoiling. Jones set to work and developed a cooling process that could refrigerate the interior of the tractor-trailer. In 1939 Fred and Joe Numero received a patent for the vehicle air-conditioning device which would later be called a Thermo King.
This product revolutionized several industries including shipping and grocery businesses. Grocery chains were now able to import and export products which previously could only have been shipped as canned goods. Thus, the frozen food industry was created and the world saw the emergence of the "supermarket."
In addition to installing the Thermo King refrigeration units in trucks and tractor-trailers, Jones modified the original design so they could be outfitted for trains, boats and ships.
During World War II, the Department of Defense found a great need portable refrigeration units for distributing food and blood plasma to troops in the field. The Department called upon Thermo King for a solution. Fred modified his device and soon had developed a prototype which would eventually allow airplanes to parachute these units down behind enemy lines to the waiting troops.
For the next 20 years, Fred Jones continued make improvements on existing devices and devised new inventions when necessary to aid the public. Jones died on February 21, 1961 and was posthumously awarded the National Medal of Technology, one of the greatest honors an inventor could receive. Jones was the first Black inventor to ever receive such an honor.
http://www.users.fast.net/~blc/xlhome8.htm
So, the next time that you go to any fast-food restaurant, or when you see one of those big rigs with the refrigerating units on the front end of the trailer, think of the man who made it possible: Frederick McKinley Jones.
References:
1. Black Contributors To Science and Energy Technology U.S.Department of Energy.
2. Havden,R.C., Eight Black American Inventors, Addison-Wesley
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-1 09:15 PM
Marjorie Joyner
Marjorie Stewart Joyner was born in Monterey, Virginia on October 24, 1896, the granddaughter of a slave and a slave-owner. In 1912, an eager Marjorie moved to Chicago, Illinois to pursue a career in cosmetology. She enrolled in the A.B. Molar Beauty School and in 1916 became the first Black women to graduate from the school. Following graduation, the 20 year old married podiatrist Robert E. Joyner and opened a beauty salon.
She was introduced to Madame C.J. Walker, a well-known Black businesswoman, specializing in beauty products and services. Walker supplied beauty products to a number of the most prominent Black figures of the time, including singer Josephine Baker. With her fame, Ms. Walker was able to open over 200 beauty salon shops across the United States. After Madame Walker's death in 1919, Marjorie was hired to oversee the Madame C.J. Walker Beauty Colleges as national supervisor.
A dilemma existed for Black women in the 1920's. In order to straighten tightly-curled hair, they could so so only by using a stove-heated curling iron. This was very time-consuming and frustrating as only one iron could be used at a time. In 1926, Joyner set out to make this process faster, easier and more efficient. She imagined that if a number of curling irons could be arranged above a women's head, they could work at the same time to straighten her hair all at once. According to the Smithsonian Institute, Joyner remembered that ¡°It all came to me in the kitchen when I was making a pot roast one day, looking at these long, thin rods that held the pot roast together and heated it up from the inside. I figured you could use them like hair rollers, then heat them up to cook a permanent curl into the hair.¡± Thus, she sought a solution to not only straighten but also provide a curl in a convenient manner.
Joyner developed her concept by connecting 16 rods to a single electric cord inside of a standard drying hood. A women would thus wear the hood for the prescribed period of time and her hair would be straightened or curled. After two years Joyner completed her invention and patented it in 1928, calling it the "Permanent Waving Machine." She thus became the first Black woman to receive a patent and her device enjoyed enormous and immediate success. It performed even better than anticipated as the curl that it added would often stay in place for several days, whereas curls from standard curling iron would generally last only one day.
Marjorie JoynerIn addition to the success found in Madame Walker's salons, the device was a hit in white salons as well, allowing white patrons to enjoy the beauty of their "permanent curl" or "perm" for days. Although popular, the process could be painful as well, so Marjorie patented a scalp protector that could be used to make the experience more pleasant. This too proved to be a major success. Despite her accomplishments and success, Marjorie received none of the proceeds of her inventions as the patents were created within the scope of her employment with Madame Walker's company, which therefore received all patent rights and royalties. Undeterred,in 1945 Joyner co-founded the United Beauty School Owners and Teachers Association along with Mary Bethune McLeod. She tirelessly helped to raise money for Black colleges and founded the Alpha Chi Pi Omega Sorority and Fraternity in an effort to raise professional standards for beauticians. In 1973, at the age of 77, she was awarded a bachelor's degree in psychology from Bethune-Cookman College in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Marjorie Joyner died on December 7, 1994 at the age of 98. She left behind her a legacy of creativity, ingenuity and selflessness that served to inspire many generations.
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-1 09:16 PM
Marjorie Stewart Joyner was born in Monterey, Virginia on October 24, 1896, the granddaughter of a slave and a slave-owner. In 1912, an eager Marjorie moved to Chicago, Illinois to pursue a career in cosmetology. She enrolled in the A.B. Molar Beauty School and in 1916 became the first Black women to graduate from the school. Following graduation, the 20 year old married podiatrist Robert E. Joyner and opened a beauty salon.
She was introduced to Madame C.J. Walker, a well-known Black businesswoman, specializing in beauty products and services. Walker supplied beauty products to a number of the most prominent Black figures of the time, including singer Josephine Baker. With her fame, Ms. Walker was able to open over 200 beauty salon shops across the United States. After Madame Walker's death in 1919, Marjorie was hired to oversee the Madame C.J. Walker Beauty Colleges as national supervisor.
A dilemma existed for Black women in the 1920's. In order to straighten tightly-curled hair, they could so so only by using a stove-heated curling iron. This was very time-consuming and frustrating as only one iron could be used at a time. In 1926, Joyner set out to make this process faster, easier and more efficient. She imagined that if a number of curling irons could be arranged above a women's head, they could work at the same time to straighten her hair all at once. According to the Smithsonian Institute, Joyner remembered that ¡°It all came to me in the kitchen when I was making a pot roast one day, looking at these long, thin rods that held the pot roast together and heated it up from the inside. I figured you could use them like hair rollers, then heat them up to cook a permanent curl into the hair.¡± Thus, she sought a solution to not only straighten but also provide a curl in a convenient manner.
Joyner developed her concept by connecting 16 rods to a single electric cord inside of a standard drying hood. A women would thus wear the hood for the prescribed period of time and her hair would be straightened or curled. After two years Joyner completed her invention and patented it in 1928, calling it the "Permanent Waving Machine." She thus became the first Black woman to receive a patent and her device enjoyed enormous and immediate success. It performed even better than anticipated as the curl that it added would often stay in place for several days, whereas curls from standard curling iron would generally last only one day.
Author: joey141 Time: 2007-6-2 01:13 AM
It's quite obvious that black Americans have invented and accomplished more in the past 400 years than the Chinese. Thank you, changabula, the "Anglocized" Chinese, for pointing this out.
Thank you my American brothren fro your contributions to American society.
God bless America!
Author: frothow Time: 2007-6-2 09:06 AM Subject: Reply #47 changabula's post
I commend you in your knowledge of the black race and there accomplishments , I'm a boxing fan and i am knowledgeable about boxing history , your comments on jack Johnson are factually correct . What puzzles me is your racism of the western white race , would you if you dare comment on, what the white race has invented and accomplished ? I know what the white race has accomplished as far as inventions and other accomplishments , but will you enlighten the readers of this forum on the numerous accomplishments of the western white race ?
please do or i will have to do it for you , i will give you the first shot .
Author: tekvicious Time: 2007-6-3 12:22 AM
We live in a white western 'age' currently. Sometimes certain forumites deserve to hear what others have accomplished.
Author: joey141 Time: 2007-6-3 12:51 AM
QUOTE:
Originally posted by tekvicious at 2007-6-3 00:22
We live in a white western 'age' currently. Sometimes certain forumites deserve to hear what others have accomplished.
True
Author: broken_heart Time: 2007-6-3 02:25 AM Subject: Reply #49 changabula's post
Having integrated the church with boys and girls and men and women seated on either side of the isle they invented a machine that could put curl in straight hair and thus they were on the way to big forced integration.
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-3 08:25 PM
QUOTE:
Originally posted by frothow at 2007-6-2 09:06
I commend you in your knowledge of the black race and there accomplishments , I'm a boxing fan and i am knowledgeable about boxing history , your comments on jack Johnson are factually correct . Wh ...
My Black brothers are under represented.
Do you want to deny them and us a chance to learn more about them?
I don't want to get in a flaming war on this thread as its a serious one.
I cannot stop you posting your views, either in a positive or a negative light.
I would like to do a thread on India's achievements, similar to this one.
[ Last edited by changabula at 2007-6-4 01:14 AM ]
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-3 08:28 PM
Percy Julian
(Forgoten Genius)
QUOTE:
Against all odds, Percy Julian became one of the greatest scientists of the 20th century.
See the documentary: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/julian/
Percy Julian was born on April 11, 1899 in Birmingham, Alabama, one of six children. His father, a railroad mail clerk, and his mother, a school teacher stressed education to their children. This emphasis would ultimately prove successful as two sons went on to become physicians and three daughters would receive Masters degrees, but it was son Percy who would become the most successful of the children.
Percy attended elementary school in Birmingham and moved on to Montgomery, Alabama where he attended high school at the State Normal School for Negroes. Upon graduation in 1916, Julian applied to and was accepted into DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. At DePauw, he began as a probationary student, having to take higher level high school classes along with his freshman and sophomore course load. He proved himself well, going on to be named a member of the Sigma Xi honorary society as well as a Phi Beta Kappa member. Finally, upon graduation from DePauw in 1920, he was selected as the class valedictorian. Though at the top of his classed, he was discouraged from seeking admission into a graduate school because of potential racial sentiment on the part of future coworkers and employers. Instead, he took the advice of an advisor and took a position as a chemistry teacher at Fisk University, a Black college in Nashville, Tennessee.
After two years at Fisk, Julian was awarded the Austin Fellowship in Chemistry and moved to the distinguished Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Finally given an opportunity at graduate level work, Julian excelled. He achieved straight A's, finishing at the top of his class and receiving a Masters Degree in 1923. Even with this success, Julian was unable to obtain a position as a teaching assistant at any major universities because of the perception that White students would refuse to learn under a Black instructor. Thus, he moved on to a teaching position at West Virginia State College for Negroes, though he would not find happiness in this situation. He left West Virginia and served as an associate professor of chemistry at Howard University in Washington, D.C. for two years.
In 1929, Julian qualified for and received a Fellowship from the General Education Board and traveled to Vienna, Austria in pursuit of a Ph.D. degree. While in Vienna, Julian developed a fascination with the soybean and its interesting properties and capabilities. Focusing on organic chemistry, Julian received his Ph.D. in 1931 and returned to the United States and to for a while to Howard University as the head of the school's chemistry department. He soon left Howard and moved back to DePauw where he was appointed a teacher in organic chemistry. At DePauw, he worked with an associate of his from Vienna, Dr. Josef Pikl, on the synthesis of physostigmine, a drug which was used as a treatment for glaucoma. After much work and adversity, Julian was successful and became internationally hailed for his achievement. At this point the Dean of the University sought to appoint Julian to the position as Chair of the chemistry department but was talked out of it by others in the department, again because of concerns over reaction to his race.
In late 1935, Percy Julian decided to leave the world of academics and entered the corporate world by accepting a position with the Glidden Company as chief chemist and the Director of the Soya Product Division. This was a significant development as he was the first Black scientist hired for such a position and would pave the way for other Blacks in the future. The Glidden Company was a leading manufacturer of paint and varnish and was counting on Julian to develop compounds from soy-based products which could be used to make paints and other products. Julian did not disappoint, coming up with products such as aero-foam which worked as a flame retardant and was used by the United States Navy and saved the lives of countless sailors during World War II.
On December 24, 1935, Percy married Anna Johnson and the company settled into their comfortable life in Chicago. Percy continued his success as he next developed a way to inexpensively develop male and female hormones from soy beans. These hormones would help to prevent miscarriages in pregnant women and would be used to fight cancer and other ailments. He next set out to provide a synthetic version of cortisone, a product which greatly relieved the pain of suffered by sufferers of rheumatoid arthritis. The real cortisone was extremely expensive and only rich people could afford it. With Julians discovery of the soy-based substitute, millions of sufferers around the world found relief at a reasonable price. So significant was his work that in 1950 the City of Chicago named him Chicagoan of the Year. While the honor should have signaled Julian's acceptance by his white counterparts in his field and his community, but when he soon after purchased a home for his family in nearby Oak Park, the home was set afire by an arsonist on Thanksgiving day 1950. A year later, dynamite was thrown from a passing car and exploded outside the bedroom window of Percy's children. Despite the fact that many residents of the town relied upon his methods to relieve their pains of and provide for their safety, some still could not stand to have him as their neighbor simply because he was Black.
In 1954, Julian left the Glidden Company to establish Julian Laboratories which specialized in producing his synthetic cortisone. When he discovered that wild yams in Mexico were even more effective than Soya beans for some of his products, he opened the Laboratorios Julian de Mexico in Mexico City, Mexico which cultivated the yams and shipped them to Oak Park for refinement. In 1961 he sold the Oak Park plant to Smith, Kline and French, a giant pharmaceutical company and received a sum of 2.3 million dollars, a staggering amount for a Black man at that time.
After years of struggling for respect in his field and his community, Julian finally was recognized as a genius and a pioneer. He received countless award and honors including the prestigious Spingarn Medal from the NAACP and was asked to serve on numerous commissions and advisory boards.
Percy Julian died of liver cancer in 1975 and is known worldwide as a trailblazer, both in the world of chemistry and as an advocate for the plight of Black scientists.
http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/02/05/49153.aspx
[ Last edited by changabula at 2007-6-4 06:15 PM ]
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-3 08:31 PM
Ernest Just
Ernest Just was born on August 14, 1883 in Charleston, South Carolina. His mother worked as a school teacher and his father, a dock worker died when Ernest was only four years old, forcing him to have to work in the fields after school each day. Because high schools in the south provided such poor educations at that time, Ernest's mother decided to send him north to receive better schooling. Through hard work Ernest was able to earn enough money to attend the Kimball Academy in New Hampshire. The Kimball Academy was an exclusive school and Just proved himself worthy by excelling in his classes. As editor of the school newspaper and President of the debating team, Ernest completed the four year program in only three, graduating with honors with honors as the valedictorian of his class.
In 1903, Just entered Dartmouth College and decided to become a research biologist specializing in cytology (the study of cells.) Learning under the guidance of world famous zoologist William Patten, Just excelled and received degrees in history and biology. Upon graduation in 1907, he had already been elected tot eh Phi Beta Kappa honorary fraternity, was named class valedictorian and was the only member of his class to graduate magna cum laude.
In October 1907, Ernest Just was hired by Howard University in Washington, D.C. and would eventually become the head of the biology department while heading the physiology department and serving as a member of the Medical School's faculty. With all of these responsibilities Just was still able to pursue a Ph.D. in Zoology, which he would receive in 1916 from the University of Chicago and began experimenting with the reproductive systems and cells of marine animals in the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. His research and papers on Marine biology were so well received in 1915, at age 32 Just was awarded the first Spingarn Medal by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Over the next 20 years Just would perform studies of marine animals and their eggs as well as their cell structures. He believed that in learning about healthy cells and cell structures, man could hope to understand and find cures for cellular irregularities and diseases such as sickle cell anemia and cancer. He also researched parthenogenesis (developing marine eggs without fertilization). He quickly became one of the most respected scientists in his field but much of that recognition came from abroad as racial bigotry in the United States caused much of his work and his achievements to go unrewarded.
In other countries, he was treated as a a pioneer, recruited to work with Russian scientists and invited to be a guest worker at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Biology, at the time the world's greatest scientific research laboratory. He was also welcome with open arms at the Naples Zoological Station in Italy and the Sorbonne in France, where he conducted research and shared his ideas.
Ernest Just died on October 27, 1941 of Cancer, leaving behind a wife, Ethel, and three children. He also left behind a world which would eventually recognize him as the most outstanding zoologist of his time.
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-3 08:34 PM
Lewis Latimer
(Made Electric Lighting Practical)
Lewis Latimer is considered one of the 10 most important Black inventors of all time...
...not only for the sheer number of inventions created and patents secured but also for the magnitude of importance for his most famous discovery. Latimer was born on September 4, 1848 in Chelsea, Massachusetts. His parents were George and Rebecca Latimer, both runaway slaves who migrated to Massachusetts in 1842 from Virginia. George Latimer was captured by his slave owner, who was determined to take him back to Virginia. His situation gained great notoriety, even reaching the Massachusetts Supreme Court. Eventually George was purchased by abolition supporters who set him free.
Train Water ClosetLewis served in the United States Navy for the Union during the Civil War, assigned to the U.S.S. Massasoit gunboat and received an honorable discharge on July 3, 1965. After his discharge he sought employment throughout Boston, Massachusetts and eventually gained a position as an office boy with a patent law firm, Crosby and Gould earning $3.00 each week. After observing Latimer's ability to sketch patent drawings, he was eventually promoted to the position of head draftsman earning $20.00 a week. In addition to his newfound success, Latimer found additional happiness when he married Mary Wilson in November of 1873.
In 1874, along with W.C. Brown, Latimer co-invented an improved of a train water closet, a bathroom compartment for railroad trains. Two years later, Latimer would play a part in one of the world's most important inventions.
In 1876, Latimer was sought out as a draftsman by a teacher for deaf children. The teacher had created a device and wanted Lewis to draft the drawing necessary for a patent application. The teacher was Alexander Graham Bell and the device was the telephone. Working late into the night, Latimer worked hard to finish the patent application, which was submitted on February 14, 1876, just hours before another application was submitted by Elisha Gray for a similar device.
In 1880, after moving to Bridgeport, Connecticut, Latimer was hired as the assistant manager and draftsman for U.S. Electric Lighting Company owned by Hiram Maxim. Maxim was the chief rival to Thomas Edison, the man who invented the electric light bulb. The light was composed of a glass bulb which surrounded a carbon wire filament, generally made of bamboo, paper or thread. When the filament was burned inside of the bulb (which contained almost no air), it became so hot that it actually glowed. Thus by passing electricity into the bulb, Edison had been able to cause the glowing bright light to emanate within a room. Before this time most lighting was delivered either through candles or through gas lamps or kerosene lanterns. Maxim greatly desired to improve on Edison's light bulb and focused on the main weakness of Edison's bulb - their short life span (generally only a few days.) Latimer set out to make a longer lasting bulb.
Maxim Electric LampLatimer devised a way of encasing the filament within an cardboard envelope which prevented the carbon from breaking and thereby provided a much longer life to the bulb and hence made the bulbs less expensive and more efficient. This enabled electric lighting to be installed within homes and throughout streets
Latimer applied for a patent for the "Process of Manufacturing Carbons" and it was granted in January 1882. Because he was working at the time for US Electric Lighting Company, he was forced to assign the patent to the company, and thus lost out on the enormous financial rewards which would result. Around this time, Latimer, along with Joseph V. Nichols received a patent for an improved incandescent lamp which utilized a more efficient way of connecting the carbon filament to the lead wires at the lamp base. Hiram Maxim named this invention the "Maxim Electric Lamp."
Latimer abilities in electric lighting became well known and soon he was sought after to continue to improve on incandescent lighting as well as arc lighting. Eventually, as more major cities began wiring their streets for electric lighting, Latimer was dispatched to lead the planning team. He helped to install the first electric plants in Philadelphia, New York City and Montreal and oversaw the installation of lighting in railroad stations, government building and major thoroughfares in Canada, New England and London.
Edison Pioneers Certificate
In 1890, Latimer, having been hired by Thomas Edison, began working in the legal department of Edison Electric Light Company, serving as the chief draftsman and patent expert. In this capacity he drafted drawings and documents related to Edison patents, inspected plants in search of infringers of Edison's patents, conducted patent searches and testified in court proceeding on Edison's behalf. Later that year wrote the worlds most thorough book on electric lighting, "Incandescent Electric Lighting: A Practical Description of the Edison System." Lewis was named one of the charter members of the Edison pioneer, a distinguished group of people deemed responsible for creating the electrical industry. The Edison Electric Lighting would eventually evolve into what is now known as the General Electric Company.
Safety Elevator
Latimer continued to display his creative talents over then next several years. In 1894 he created a safety elevator, a vast improvement on existing elevators. He next received a patent for Locking Racks for Hats, Coats, and Umbrellas. The device was used in restaurants, hotels and office buildings, holding items securely and allowing owners of items to keep the from getting misplaced or accidentally taken by others. He next created a improved version of a Book Supporter, used to keep books neatly arranged on shelves.
Latimer next devised a method of making rooms more sanitary and climate controlled. He termed his device an Apparatus for Cooling and Disinfecting. The device worked wonders in hospitals, preventing dust and particles from circulating within patient rooms and public areas.
Throughout the rest of his life, Latimer continued to try to devise ways of improving everyday living for the public, eventually working in efforts to improve the civil rights of Black citizens within the United States. He also painted portraits and wrote poetry and music for friends and family.
Locking Coat and Hat RackLewis Latimer died on December 11, 1928 and left behind a legacy of achievement and leadership that much of the world owes thanks.
Note:
Latimer's wrote a textbook on the installation of incandescent lighting (the first ever written on the subject). See:
http://www.users.fast.net/~blc/xlhome4.htm
[ Last edited by changabula at 2007-6-4 12:41 AM ]
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Author: shelleybelly Time: 2007-6-3 11:05 PM
QUOTE:
Originally posted by changabula at 2007-5-29 07:43
More Black Inventors
* Banneker, Benjamin
* Bath, Patricia
* Beard, Andrew
* Benjamin, Miriam
* Blair, Henry
* Boone, Sarah
* Boykin, Otis ...
what you are preaching here?
what is your purpose?(down load those old stuff from somewhere)..
who would be so care to the things/person back to hundred years ago...
There are more and more inventors not only BLACK ,right?
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 12:18 AM
Don't get your knickers in a twist!
QUOTE:
Originally posted by shelleybelly at 2007-6-3 23:05
There are more and more inventors not only BLACK ,right?
Right!
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 12:21 AM
Joseph Lee
Joseph Lee was born in 1849 and lived most of his life in Boston, Massachusetts. Lee was very prominent in the food services industry, having begun working as a boy at a bakery. He soon began preparing, cooking and serving food, eventually opening two successful restaurants in the Boston area. In the late 1890s he owned and managed the Woodland Park Hotel in Newton, Massachusetts for 17 years. In 1902, as a way of maintaining an involvement in the food services industry, Lee opened a catering business called the Lee Catering Company which served the wealthy population of Boylston Street in the Back Bay. At the same time he also operated the Squantum Inn, a summer resort in South Shores specializing in seafood. The catering business was a great success and during this time he became interest in eliminating a situation that had become annoying to him.
Lee became very frustrated at what he saw as a waste of bread which would have to be thrown out if it was as much as a day old. Considered a master cook, Lee had long believed that crumbs from bread was quite useful in preparing food, as opposed to cracker crumbs which many others favored.He decided that instead of simply throwing stale bread away, he would use it to make bread crumbs. He thus set out to invent of device that could automate tearing, crumbling and grinding the bread into crumbs. He was finally successful and patented the invention on June 4, 1895. He used the bread crumbs for various dishes including croquettes, batter for cakes, fried chops, fried fish and more. He soon sold the rights to his bread crumbling machine and the Royal Worcester Bread Crumb Company of Boston soon had the devices in major restaurants around the world.
Not one to rest on his laurels, Lee looked for another way of improving food preparation and invented an automatic bread making machine. The machine not only mixed the ingredients, but also kneaded the dough. The machine was so fast and efficient it was able to perform the tasks of five or six men and did so more hygienically and at a much cheaper cost. It also produced a higher quality product, with a much better taste and texture. He received a patent for the machine, which is the basis for machines still in use today.
Joseph Lee died in 1905 and is an honored pioneer in the food preparation industry.
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 12:23 AM
E. R. Lewis
E. R. Lewis had a problem with people trespassing on his property, especially poachers. Unfortunately, the only way to prevent people from coming on to his his land would be to hide out on the property at all hours, day and night.
Lewis solved this problem by developing a spring gun, which he patented on May 3, 1887. The spring gun was made of a metal tube which sat atop a block of wood with a wire attached to a trigger mechanism. The other end of the wire ran across the ground or was stretched across an area and attached to a post or a tree. Anyone disturbing the wire would cause the gun to discharge, thereby shooting the trespasser.
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 12:23 AM
J. L. Love
Many patents are developed in response to the frustration involved in having to perform a repetitive task in order to complete a more important one. For J. L. Love, this repetitive task was having to stop writing notes or letters in able to pull out his knife to whittle his pencil down to a point again.
On November 23, 1897, Love patented the pencil sharpener which called for a user to turn a crank and rotor off thin slices of wood from the pencil until a point was formed.
Four years earlier, Love created and patented his Plasterer's Hawk. This device, a flat square piece of board made of wood or metal, upon which plaster or mortar was placed and then spread by plasterers or masons. This device was patented on July 9, 1895.
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 12:25 AM
Jan Matzeliger
(Now Everyone Can Afford Decent Shoes.)
Sometimes the greatest inventions are those which simplify necessary tasks. Such is the case with Jan Matzeliger - the man who made it possible for ordinary citizens to purchase shoes.
Jan Matzeliger was born in Dutch Guiana (now known as Surinam) in South America. His father was a Dutch engineer and his mother was born in Dutch Guiana and was of African ancestry. His father had been sent to Surinam by the Dutch government to oversee the work going on in the South American country.
At an early age, Jan showed a remarkable ability to repair complex machinery and often did so when accompanying his father to a factory. When he turned 19, he decided to venture away from home to explore other parts of the world. For two years he worked aboard an East Indian merchant ship and was able to visit several countries. In 1873, Jan decided to stay in the United States for a while, landing in Pennsylvania. Although he spoke very little English, he was befriended by some Black residents who were active in a local church and took pity on him. Because he was good with his hands and mechanically inclined, he was able to get small jobs in order to earn a living.
At some point he began working for a cobbler and became interested in the making of shoes. At that time more than half of the shoes produced in the United States came from the small town of Lynn, Massachusetts. Still unable to speak more than rudimentary English, Matzeliger had a difficult time finding work in Lynn. After considerable time, he was able to begin working as a show apprentice in a shoe factory. He operated a McKay sole-sewing machine which was used to attached different parts of a shoe together. Unfortunately, no machines existed that could attach the upper part of a shoe to the sole. As such, attaching the upper part of a shoe to the sole had to be done by hand. The people who were able to sew the parts of the shoe together were called "hand lasters" and expert ones were able to produce about 50 pairs of shoes in a 10 hour work day. They were held in high esteem and were able to charge a high price for their services, especially after they banded together and formed a union called the Company of Shoemakers. Because the hand lasters were able to charge so much money, a pair of shoes was very expensive to purchase. Hand lasters were confident that they would continue to be able to demand high sums of money for their services saying "... no matter if the sewing machine is a wonderful machine. No man can build a machine that will last shoes and take away the job of the laster, unless he can make a machine that has fingers like a laster - and that is impossible." Jan Matzeliger decided they were wrong.
After working all day Matzeliger took classes at night to learn English. Soon, he was able to read well enough to study books on physics and mechanical science. This enabled him to a number of inventions. Lacking sufficient money, he was unable to patent these inventions and watched helplessly as other people claimed to have created the devises and received the financial rewards they brought. Matzeliger did not despair over these situations because he was already thinking of a more important invention - the shoe laster.
Watching hand lasters all day, Matzeliger began understanding how they were able to join the upper parts of a shoe to the sole. At night he sat devising methods for imitating the mannerisms of the hand lasters and sketched out rough drawings of a machine that might work in the same manner.
Soon, Matzeliger began putting together a crude working model of his invention. Lacking the proper materials, he used whatever scraps he could find, including cigar boxes, discarded pieces of wood, scrap wire, nails and paper. After six months, he felt he was on the right track but knew he needed better materials in order to take the next steps.
Although he attempted to keep his invention a secret, people found out, including the expert hand lasters he was trying to "compete" with. These people criticized and ridiculed him and tried to dissuade him pursuing his goal. He considered on, however, and decided to try to raise money in order to improve his working model. He was offered $50.00 to sell the device he had created up to that point but turned it down, knowing that if people were interested in buying, he was on the right track.
As he improved the device, other offers of money came in, some as high as $1,500.00. Matzeliger could not bear to part with the device he had put so much work into creating so he held out until he reached a deal to sell a 66% interest in the devices to two investors, retaining the other third interest for himself. With the new influx of cash, Jan finished his second and third models of the machine. At this point he applied for a patent for the device.
Because no one could believe that anyone could create a machine which could duplicate the work of expert lasters, the patent office dispatched a representative to Lynn, Massachusetts to see the device in action. In March 1883, the United States Patent Office issued a patent to Jan Matzeliger for his "Lasting Machine." Within two years, Matzeliger had perfected the machine to that point that it could produce up to 700 pairs of shoes each day (as compared to 50 per day for a hand laster.)
Sadly, Matzeliger would only enjoy his success for a short time, as he was afflicted with tuberculosis in 1886 and died on August 24, 1889 at the age of 37. As a result of his work, shoe manufacturing capabilities increased as did efficiency. This allowed for lower prices for consumers and more jobs for workers. Matzeliger left behind a legacy of tackling what was thought to be an impossible task - making shoes affordable for the masses.
http://www.users.fast.net/~blc/xlhome9.htm
[ Last edited by changabula at 2007-6-4 12:43 AM ]
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 12:46 AM
Elijah McCoy
(the Real McCoy!)
Although the name Elijah McCoy may be unknown to most people, the enormity of his ingenuity and the quality of his inventions have created a level of distinction which bears his name.
Elijah McCoy was born in Colchester, Ontario, Canada on May 2, 1844. His parents were George and Emillia McCoy, former slaves from Kentucky who escaped through the Underground Railroad. George joined the Canadian Army, fighting in the Rebel War and then raised his family as free Canadian citizens on a 160 acre homestead.
At an early age, Elijah showed a mechanical interest, often taking items apart and putting them back together again. Recognizing his keen abilities, George and Emillia saved enough money to send Elijah to Edinburgh, Scotland, where he could study mechanical engineering. After finishing his studies as a "master mechanic and engineer" he returned to the United States which had just seen the end of the Civil War - and the emergence of the "Emancipation Proclamation."
Elijah moved to Ypsilanti, Michigan but was unable to find work as an engineer. He was thus forced to take on a position as a fireman\oilman on the Michigan Central Railroad. As a fireman, McCoy was responsible for shoveling coal onto fires which would help to produce steam that powered the locomotive. As an oilman, Elijah was responsible for ensuring that the train was well lubricated. After a few miles, the train would be forced to stop and he would have to walk alongside the train applying oil to the axles and bearings.
In an effort to improve efficiency and eliminate the frequent stopping necessary for lubrication of the train, McCoy set out to create a method of automating the task. In 1872 he developed a "lubricating cup" that could automatically drip oil when and where needed. He received a patent for the device later that year. The "lubricating cup" met with enormous success and orders for it came in from railroad companies all over the country. Other inventors attempted to sell their own versions of the device but most companies wanted the authentic device, requesting "the Real McCoy."
In 1868, Elijah married Ann Elizabeth Stewart. Sadly, Elizabeth passed away just four years later. In 1873, McCoy married again, this time his bride was Mary Eleanor Delaney and the couple would eventually settle into Detroit, Michigan together for the next 50 years.
McCoy remained interested in continuing to perfect his invention and to create more. He thus sold some percentages of rights to his patent to finance building a workshop. He made continued improvements to the "lubricating cup." The patent application described the it as a device which "provides for the continuous flow of oil on the gears and other moving parts of a machine in order to keep it lubricated properly and continuous and thereby do away with the necessity of shutting down the machine periodically." The device would be adjusted and modified in order to apply it to different types of machinery. Versions of the cup would soon be used in steam engines, naval vessels, oil-drilling rigs, mining equipment, in factories and construction sites.
In 1916 McCoy created the graphite lubricator which allowed new superheater trains and devices to be oiled. In 1920, Elijah established the "Elijah McCoy Manufacturing Company." With his new company, he improved and sold the graphite lubricator as well as other inventions which came to him out of necessity. He developed and patented a portable ironing board after his wife expressed a need for an easier way of ironing clothes. When he desired an easier and faster way of watering his lawn, he created and patented the lawn sprinkler.
In 1922, Elijah and Mary were involved in an automobile accident and both suffered severe injuries. Mary would die from the injuries and Elijah's health suffered for several years until he died in 1929. McCoy left behind a legacy of successful inventions which would benefit mankind for another century and his name would come to symbolize quality workmanship - the Real McCoy!
http://www.users.fast.net/~blc/xlhome6.htm
The continuous hum of so many of the factories of today are due in most part to a self-taught mechanical engineer, son of fugitive slaves who had to leave the U.S. in order to be free.
References: 1. Baker, Henry E., The Colored Inventor, 1913. 2. Adams, Great Negroes, Past and Present, Afro-Am Publishing Co., Inc., Chicago, 1969.
[ Last edited by changabula at 2007-6-4 12:52 AM ]
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 12:59 AM
D. McCree
D. McCree recognized the safety benefits enjoyed by hotels, apartment buildings and office buildings and decided to extend that safety to homeowners. Basing his model on fire escapes being used by bigger buildings, McCree created a portable version made of wood that could be attached to the windowsill of a home, enabling people within to escape from second and third story levels during a fire.
McCree patented the portable fire escape on November 11, 1890 and it is the basis for similar models used today.
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 01:01 AM
Benjamin Montgomery
Benjamin Montgomery was born into slavery in 1819 in Loudon County, Virginia. He was sold to Joseph E. Davis, a Mississippi planter. Davis was the older brother of Jefferson Davis who would later serve as the President of the Confederate States of America. After a period time, Davis could see great talent within Montgomery and assigned to him the responsibility of running his general store on the Davis Bend plantation. Montgomery, who by this time had learned to read and write (he was taught by the Davis children), excelled at running the store and served both white customers and slaves who could trade poultry and other items in return for dry goods. Impressed with his knowledge and abilities to run the store, Davis placed Montgomery in charge of overseeing the entirety of his purchasing and shipping operations on the plantation.
In addition to being able to read and write, Montgomery also learned a number of other difficult tasks, including land surveying, techniques for flood control and the drafting of architectural plans. He was also a skilled mechanic and a born inventor. At the time commerce often flowed through the rivers connecting counties and states. With differences in the depths of water in different spots throughout the river, navigation could become difficult. If a steamboat were to run adrift, the merchandise would be delayed for days, if not weeks.
Davis decided to address the problem and created a propellor that could cut into the water at different angles, thus allowing the boat to navigate more easily though shallow water. Joseph Davis attempted to patent the device but the patent was denied on June 10, 1858, on the basis that Ben, as a slave, was not a citizen of the United States, and thus could not apply for a patent in his name. Later, both Joseph and Jefferson Davis attempted to patent the device in their names but were denied because they were not the "true inventor." Ironically, when Jefferson Davis later assumed the Presidency of the Confederacy, he signed into law the legislation that would allow a slaves to receive patent protection for their inventions. On June 28, 1864, Montgomery, no longer a slave, filed a patent application for his devise, but the patent office again rejected his application.
Upon the end of the Civil War, Joseph Davis sold his plantation as well as other properties to Montgomery, along with his son Isaiah. The sale was made based on a long-term loan in the amount of $300,000.00. Benjamin and Isaiah decided to pursue a dream of using the property to establish a community of freed slaves, but natural disasters decimated their crops, leaving them unable to pay off the loan. The Davis Bend property reverted back to the Davis family and Benjamin died the following year. Undeterred, Isaiah took up his father's dream and later purchased 840 acres of land and along with a number of other former slaves, and founded the town of Mound Bayou, Mississippi in 1887. Isaiah was named the town first mayor soon thereafter.
While Benjamin Montgomery's story sounds sad in it's telling, it served as a lesson to whites and black in the Civil War period, demonstrating the power of education and the ability for blacks to contribute to commerce and industry in the American south.
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 01:04 AM
Garrett Morgan
(Father of the Gas Mask).
Garrett Morgan is one of those rare people who are able to come up with an extraordinary inventions which has a tremendous impact on society - and then follows that up with even more!
Garrett Morgan was born on March 4, 1877 in Paris, Kentucky the seventh of 11 children born to Sydney and Elizabeth Morgan. Garrett, at the early age of 14 decided that he should travel north to Ohio in order to receive a better education. He moved to Cincinnati and then to Cleveland, working as a handyman in order to make ends meet. In Cleveland, he learned the inner workings of the sewing machine and in 1907 opened his own sewing machine store, selling new machines and repairing old ones. In 1908 Morgan married Mary Anne Hassek with whom he would have three sons.
In 1909, Morgan opened a tailoring shop, selling coats, suits and dresses. While working in this shop he came upon a discover which brought about his first invention. He noticed that the needle of a sewing machine moved so fast that its friction often scorched the thread of the woolen materials. He thus set out to develop a liquid that would provide a useful polish to the needle, reducing friction. When his wife called him to dinner, he wiped the liquid from his hands onto a a piece of pony-fur cloth. When he returned to his workshop, he saw that the fibers on the cloth were now standing straight up. He theorized that the fluid had actually straightened the fibers. In order to confirm his theory, he decided to apply some of the fluid to the hair of a neighbor's dog, an Airedale. The fluid straightened the dog's hair so much, the neighbor, not recognizing his own pet, chased the animal away. Morgan then decided try the fluid on himself, to small portions of his hair at first, and then to his entire head. He was successful and had invented the first human-hair straightener. He marketed the product under the name the G. A. Morgan Hair Refining Cream and sold by his G. A Morgan Refining Company, which became a very successful business.
In 1912, Morgan developed another invention, much different from his hair straightener. Morgan called it a Safety Hood and patented it as a Breathing Device, but the world came to know it as a Gas Mask. The Safety Hood consisted of a hood worn over the head of a person from which emanated a tube which reached near the ground and allowed in clean air. The bottom of the tube was lined with a sponge type material that would help to filter the incoming air. Another tube existed which allowed the user to exhale air out of the device. Morgan intended the device to be used "to provide a portable attachment which will enable a fireman to enter a house filled with thick suffocating gases and smoke and to breathe freely for some time therein, and thereby enable him to perform his duties of saving life and valuables without danger to himself from suffocation. The device is also efficient and useful for protection to engineers, chemists and working men who are obliged to breathe noxious fumes or dust derived from the materials in which they are obliged to work."
The National Safety Device Company, with Morgan as its General Manager was set up to manufacture and sell the device and it was demonstrated at various exhibitions across the country. At the Second International Exposition of Safety and Sanitation, the device won first prize and Morgan was award a gold medal. While demonstrations were good for sales, the true test of the product would come only under real life circumstances.
That opportunity arose on July 24, 1916 when an explosion occurred in a tunnel being dug under Lake Erie by the Cleveland Water Works. The tunnel quickly filled with smoke, dust and poisonous gases and trapped 32 workers underground. They were feared lost because no means of safely entering and rescuing them was known. Fortunately someone at the scene remembered about Morgan's invention and ran to call him at his home where he was relaxing. Garrett and his brother Frank quickly arrived at the scene, donned the Safety Hood and entered the tunnel. After a heart wrenching delay, Garrett appeared from the tunnel carrying a survivor on his back as did his brother seconds later. The crowd erupted in a staggering applause and Garrett and Frank reentered the tunnel, this time joined by two other men. While they were unable to save all of the workers, the were able to rescue many who would otherwise have certainly died. Reaction to Morgan's device and his heroism quickly spread across the city and the country as newspapers picked up on the story. Morgan received a gold medal from a Cleveland citizens group as well as a medal from the International Association of Fire Engineers, which also made him an honorary member.
Soon, orders came in from fire and police departments across the country. Unfortunately, many of these orders were canceled when it was discovered that Morgan was Black. Apparently, many people would rather face danger and possibly death than rely on a lifesaving device created by a Black man. Nonetheless, with the outbreak of World War I and the use of poisonous gases therein, Morgan's Safety Hood, now known as the Gas Mask was utilized by the United States Army and saved the lives of thousands of soldiers.
Although he could have relied on the income his Gas Masks generated, Morgan felt compelled to try to solve safety problems of the day. One day he witnessed a traffic accident when an automobile collided with a horse and carriage. The driver of the automobile was knocked unconscious and the horse had to be destroyed. He set out to develop a means of automatically directing traffic without the need of a policeman or worker present. He patented an automatic traffic signal which he said could be "operated for directing the flow of traffic" and providing a clear and unambiguous "visible indicator."
Satisfied with his efforts, Morgan sold the rights to his device to the General Electric Company for the astounding sum of $40,000.00 and it became the standard across the country. Today's modern traffic lights are based upon Morgan's original design.
At that point, Morgan was honored by many influential people around him, including such tycoons as John D. Rockefeller and J.P. Morgan (after whom he named one of his sons.) Although his successes had brought him status and acclaim, Morgan never forgot that his fellow Blacks still suffered injustices and difficulties. His next endeavor sought to address these as he started a newspaper called the Cleveland Call (later renamed as the Call & Post.) He also served as the treasurer of the Cleveland Association of Colored Men which eventually merged with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and ran as a candidate for Cleveland's City Council
In his later years, Morgan would develop glaucoma and would thereby lose 90% of his vision. He died on July 27, 1963 and because of his contribution, the world is certainly a much safer place.
[ Last edited by changabula at 2007-6-4 01:09 AM ]
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 02:14 AM
George Murray
George Murray was without a doubt, one of the most remarkable citizens of his time. A teacher, farmer, land developer and federal customs inspector, the former slave would go on to become a United States Congressman and a noted inventor.
George Murray was born in Sumter County, South Carolina in September, 1853. He spent the first 13 years of his life as a slave, but after the Emancipation Proclamation enrolled at South Carolina State University and later continued his education at the State Normal Institute. In the next 20 years he served as a school teacher, the Chairman of the Sumter County Republican Committee and as a customs inspector for the Port of Charleston, a position was appointed to by the President of the United States, Benjamin Harrison.
In 1892 George Murray was elected as United States Congressman, representing the state of South Carolina. In this position he frequently spoke from the floor of the House, describing the plight of Black citizens and imploring his fellow Congressmen to protect those citizens rights. One topic that Murray spoke openly about was the plight of the Black inventor. In that day of age, most whites were completely unaware of the success that many Blacks had enjoyed in inventing useful devices which were benefiting ordinary citizens. Murray recounted these achievements and read them into the Congressional Record. While serving in his second term, Murray secured patents for eight inventions, including cultivating and fertilizing equipment and a cotton chopper.
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 02:17 AM
John P. Parker
John P. Parker was born in 1827 in Norfolk, Virginia. His father was white and his mother was a black slave. John was sold to a slave agent in 1835 and then sold to a slave caravan which took him to Mobile, Alabama where he was purchased by a physician. Working as a house servant, Parker learned to read and write, often learning alongside of the physician's sons.
In 1843 John was sent North with the owners sons as they went to attend college. John was soon brought back to Mobile when the physician feared he might escape into the Northern territories. Back in Mobile, Parker worked as an craftsman's apprentice for an iron manufacturer and learned to be a plasterer. After being abused by one of his bosses, John attempted to escape to New Orleans but was captured trying to flee by a riverboat and was returned to his owner.
Parker eventually became a molder and was transferred to a New Orleans foundry where he was able to do extra work to earn money. This would allow him to purchase his freedom in 1845 for $1,800.00. At this point he moved north to. Indiana and began working in foundries. At the same time he secretly became a conductor on the "Underground Railroad", eventually helping to smuggle more than 1,000 slaves to escape into free states such as Indiana and Ohio.
In 1848, Parker moved to Beachwood Factory, Ohio where he opened a general store. Six years later he opened a small foundry near Ripley, Ohio which produced special and general castings. The foundry eventually employed more than 25 workers and manufactured slide valve engines and reapers. In 1863 Parker served as a recruiter for the 27th Regiment, U.S Colored troop during the United States Civil War and furnished castings to the war effort.
In 1884 John P. Parker created a screw for Tobacco presses, receiving a patent later in the year.
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 02:18 AM
Robert Pelham
Robert Pelham was born in January of 1859 in Petersburg, Virginia. His parents, Robert and Frances Pelham, moved the family to Detroit, Michigan in hopes of finding a more favorable atmosphere for their children to receive an education and opportunities for decent employment. While enrolled in public schools, Pelham was hired by a newspaper called the Daily Post, working under Zachariah Chandler, who trained him in the skills of journalism. He remained with the paper for 20 years while at the same time managing a Black weekly newspaper called the Detroit Plaindealer.
Pelham would later hold a number of important jobs, including Deputy Oil Inspector for the state of Michigan, Special Agent for the United States Land Office and Inspector for the Detroit Water Department. In 1893 Robert married Gabrielle Lewis and the couple moved to Washington, D.C. in 1900 where he took a job as a clerk for the United States Census Department. Studying at night, Pelham received a law degree from Howard University in 1904 and soon began work on a project to help him with his job at the Census Department.
At the Census Department, a clerk had to manually paste statistical slips onto sheets and organized appropriately. The process was messy and required many employees to carry it out. Pelham devised a method for automating the pasting process and set out to create a device that could accomplish it. Starting with a rolling pin, cigar boxes, wooden screws and other miscellaneous items, Pelham developed a working model which he put into effect. The apparatus would go on to save the Department more than $3,000.00 He continued working for the Census Bureau for 30 years, and during that time patented two items - the tabulation device in 1905 and a tallying machine in 1913.
After retiring from the Census Bureau, he began editing a Black newspaper called the Washington Tribune, and later created the Capital News Services, a news agency devoted to Black issues of the day. In June of 1943 Robert Pelham died leaving behind him a list of accomplishments.
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 02:19 AM
W. B. Purvis
W. B. Purvis realized how much of an inconvenience it was to have to carry around a bottle of ink whenever you needed to sign a contract or fill out legal papers. He therefore decided to do something about it.
On January 7, 1890, Purvis received a patent for the fountain pen. The pen eliminated the need for an ink bottle by storing ink within a reservoir within the pen which is then fed to the pen's tip. Of his accomplishment, Purvis said, "the object of my invention is to provide a simple, durable, and inexpensive construction of a fountain pen adapted to general use and which may be carried in the pocket." The creation of the fountain pen has made office work cleaner and less expensive for businesses all over the world.
In addition to his fountain pen, Purvis, a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, also successfully patented a number of other inventions. Between 1884 and 1897 he patented bag machines, a bag fastener, a hand stamp, an electric railway device, an electric railway switch and a magnetic car balancing device. He also is believed to have invented , yet not patented several other devices such as the edge cutter found on aluminum foil, cling wrap and wax paper boxes.
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 02:21 AM
Lloyd P. Ray
Before L. P. Ray patented his invention, anyone cleaning a room or a hall simply swept dirt, dust or trash out of a door onto the ground outside or used a piece of paper in order to collect it. Ray created a device with a metal collection plate attached to a short wooden handle in which trash could be swept without getting one's hands dirty.
The device was patented on August 3, 1897 and is called a dustpan. Below you can view the patent issued to Lloyd Ray.
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 02:22 AM
Andre Reboucas
Andre Reboucas was born in 1838 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was trained at the Military School of Rio de Janeiro and became an engineer after studying in Europe. After returning to Brazil, Reboucas was named a lieutenant in the engineering corps in the 1864 Paraguayan War. During the war, as naval vessels became more and more integral, Reboucas designed an immersible device which could be projected underwater, causing an explosion with any ship it hit. The device became known as the torpedo.
After his military career, Reboucas began teaching at the Polytechnical School in Rio de Janeiro and became very wealthy. He used his wealth to aid in the Brazilian abolition movement, trying to end slavery in Brazil. After growing disgusted with conditions in Brazil, Reboucas moved to Funchal, Madeira, off of the coast of Africa where he died in 1898.
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 02:23 AM
A. C. Richardson
A. C. Richardson was one of those rare inventors who not only created numerous devices, but created devices that were completely unrelated to one another.
Until 1891 anyone wanting to make butter would have to do so by hand in a bowl. On February 17, 1891 Richardson patented the butter churn. The device consisted of a large wooden cylinder container with a plunger-like handle which moved up and down. In doing so, the movement caused oily parts of cream or milk to become separated from the more watery parts. This allowed for an easy way to make butter and forever changed the food industry.
In 1894, Richardson saw a problem with the way the bodies of dead people were buried. It was common at that time to simply bury bodies in small, shallow graves or to try to lower their caskets with ropes into a deeper hole. Unfortunately, this required several people to work in unison to ensure that the casket was lowered evenly. Failure to do so could cause the casket to slip out of one of the ropes and to be damaged from hitting the ground. On November 13, 1894, Richardson patented the casket lowering device which consisted of a series of pulleys and ropes or cloths which ensured uniformity in the lowering process. This invention was very significant at that time and is used in all cemeteries today.
In addition to these devices, Richardson patented a hame fastener in 1882, an insect destroyer in February of 1899 and an improvement in the design of the bottle in December of 1899.
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 02:25 AM
Norbert Rillieux
Safety, efficiency and profitability - these are the major reasons for the success of an invention. As well, an even greater qualification is when the invention revolutionizes an industry and an overwhelming effect on society. Norbert Rillieux can certainly be seen to have achieved all of these goals
Norbert Rillieux was born on March 17, 1806 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Norbert was born a free man, although his mother was a slave. His father was a wealthy White engineer involved in the cotton industry. As a child Norbert was educated in the Catholic school system in New Orleans but was sent to Paris, France for advanced schooling. He studied at the L'Ecole Centrale and at age 24 became an instructor of applied mechanics at the school. Eventually Rillieux returned home to his father's plantation which was now also being used to process and refine sugar.
Sugarcane had become the dominant crop within Louisiana, but the sugar refining process employed at that time was extremely dangerous and very inefficient. Known as the "Jamaica Train", the process called for sugarcane to be boiled in huge open kettles and then strained to allow the juice to be separated from the cane. The juice was then evaporated by boiling it at extreme temperatures, resulting in granules being left over in the form of sugar. The danger stemmed from the fact that workers were forced to transport the boiling juice from one one kettle to another, chancing the possibility of of suffering sever burns. It was also a very costly process considering the large amount of fuel needed to heat the various kettles.
During the 1830s, France witnessed the introduction of the steam-operated single pan vacuum . The vacuum pan was enclosed in an area with air of the air removed (this was necessary because liquids can boil at a lower temperature in the absence of air than with air present, thus costing less.) Rillieux decided to improve greatly on this efficiency by including a second and later a third pan, with each getting heating by its predecessor.
In 1833, Rillieux was approached by a New Orleans sugar manufacturer named Edmund Forstall. Because numerous sugar producers had received complaints about product quality, Forstall persuaded Norbert to become the Chief Engineer of the Louisiana Sugar Refinery. Unfortunately, almost as soon as Norbert took the job, an intense feud developed between Forstall and his father, Vincent Rillieux. Out of loyalty to his father, Norbert left his position with the company. A few years later, Norbert was hired by Theodore Packwood to improve his Myrtle Grove Plantation refinery. In doing so he employed his triple evaporation pan system which he patented in 1843. It was an enormous success and revolutionized the sugar refining industry improving efficiency, quality and safety.
In the 1850s, New Orleans was suffering from an outbreak of Yellow Fever, caused by disease-carrying mosquitos. Rillieux devised an elaborate plan for eliminating the outbreak by draining the swamplands surrounding the city and improving the existing sewer system, thus removing the breeding ground for the insects and therefore the ability for them to pass on the disease. Unfortunately, Edmund Forstall, Norbert's former employer was a member of the state legislature and spoke out against the plan. Forstall was able to turn sentiment against Rillieux and the plan was rejected. Disgusted will the racism prevalent in the south as well as the frustration of local politics Rillieux eventually left New Orleans and moved back to France (ironically, after a number of years in which time the Yellow Fever continued to devastate New Orleans, the state legislature was forced to implement an almost identical plan introduced by white engineers.
After returning to France, Rillieux spent much of his time creating new inventions and defending his patents as well as traveling abroad. Rillieux died on October 8, 1894 and left behind a legacy of having revolutionized the sugar industry and therefore changing the way the world would eat.
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 02:28 AM
Richard Spikes
Inventors often toil for their entire lifetimes creating devices which have beneficial effects on society for years - yet that inventor might gain recognition only after he or she has passed away. For others, even after they have gone, recognition is slow in coming despite their great contributions. Richard Spikes is such a person.
Little has been written about Richard Spikes in terms of his childhood, education and personal life. What is known is that he was an incredible inventor and the proof of this is in the incredibly diverse number of creations that have had a major impact on the lives of everyday citizens.
Over the course of his lifetime, Spikes developed the following inventions or innovations:
railroad semaphore (1906)
automatic car washer (1913)
automobile directional signals (1913)
beer keg tap (1910)
self-locking rack for billiard cues (1910)
continuous contact trolley pole (1919)
combination milk bottle opener and cover (1926)
method and apparatus for obtaining average samples and temperature of tank liquids (1931)
automatic gear shift (1932)
transmission and shifting thereof (1933)
automatic shoe shine chair (1939)
multiple barrel machine gun (1940)
horizontally swinging barber chair (1950)
automatic safety brake (1962)
Spikes inventions were welcome to major companies. His beer keg tap was purchased by Milwaukee Brewing Company and the automobile directional signals which were first introduced in the Pierce Arrow, soon became standard in all automobiles. For his innovative designs of transmission and gear-shifting devices, Spikes received over $100,000.00 - an enormous sum for a Black man in the 1930s.
By the time he was creating the automatic safety brake in 1962, Spikes was losing his vision. In order to complete the device, he first created a drafting machine for blind designers - by the time his braking device was completed, he was deemed legally blind. The device would soon be found in almost every school bus in the nation.
Richard Spikes died in 1962 but left behind a lifetime of achievement that few could parallel.
Automatic Gear Shift Patent Drawing
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 02:29 AM
Thomas Stewart
Many inventions were born from necessity and others for convenience. Others, however, are designed to lessen the drudgery and unpleasentness of daily tasks. Such was the invention of Thomas Stewart.
Cleaning floors had always meant scrubbing them on your hands and knees using a scrub brushes and rags. Thomas Stewart envisioned an easier, less painful way. Using a cloth connected to a stick handle and held in place by a metal clasp, Stewart present the world with invention of the mop.
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 02:31 AM
Lewis Temple
Lewis Temple was born in 1800 as a slave in Richmond, Virginia. He obtained his freedom and moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts in 1929 where he worked as a blacksmith.
Later that year he married Mary Clark, with whom he would later have three children. He also opened a whalecraft store although he had no experience with whaling or as a seaman. In 1845, Temple was enjoying so much success that he was able to open a larger whalecraft store.
The New England region was the capital of the whaling industry. Whale meat and oil was very valuable and the industry provided jobs to seamen and seafront businesses. A big concern for these people was the inability to develop a surefire method of successfully hunting whales. The existing methods of the day often ended in failure as the whales were disengage themselves from the whalers harpoons by spinning and thrashing about.
In 1848 Temple set out to make an improved harpoon that could withstand the enormous strength of the large mammals and would be difficult to escape from. He developed a harpoon with a pivoting head that stayed embedded within the creature. Calling the invention Temple's Toggle or Temple's Iron, the harpoon was actually very similar to hunting tolls used by whale hunters during prehistoric times. His harpoon became a great success, but he never patented it. As such, many blacksmiths began copying the device and selling it as their own. Nonetheless, he enjoyed enough success that he needed to build an even larger shop.
Unfortunately, in 1854 while the new shop was under construction, Temple fell into a hole near the shop and was unable to work. The hole was the result of construction by the city and Temple successfully sued and was awarded $2,000.00 by the court. He never received any of the payment, for he died a few short weeks later as a result of his injuries. All of the profits he had made on his harpoon and his business went to paying for his debts and his family was unable to collect on the money awarded by the court - a strange and ironic tragedy that a made who did so much for the town during his life, would be ignored in death.
Though the City of New Bedford did not recognize their obligation to debt to him at his death, the industry owed him much more because of his invention. Experts after his death agreed with Clifford Ashley, who announced that his Temple's harpoon was "the single most important invention in the whole history of whaling."
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 02:33 AM
Valerie Thomas
As a child, Valerie Thomas became fascinated with the mysteries of technology, tinkering with electronics with her father and reading books on electronics written for adolescent boys. The likelihood of her enjoying a career in science seemed bleak, as her all-girls high school did not push her to take advanced science or math classes or encourage her in that direction. Nonetheless, her curiosity was piqued and upon her graduation from high school, she set out on the path to become a scientist.
Thomas enrolled at Morgan State University and performed exceedingly well as a student, graduating with a degree in physics (one of only two women in her class to do so). She accepted a position with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), serving as a data analyst. After establishing herself within the agency, she was asked to manage the "Landsat" project, an image processing system that would allow a satellite to transmit images from space.
In 1976 Thomas attended a scientific seminar where she viewed an exhibit demonstrating an illusion. The exhibit used concave mirrors to fool the viewer into believing that a light bulb was glowing even after it had been unscrewed from its socket. Thomas was fascinated by what she saw, and imagined the commercial opportunities for creating illusions in this manner.
In 1977 she began experimenting with flat mirrors and concave mirrors. Flat mirrors, of course, provide a reflection of an object which appear to lie behind the glass surface. A concave mirror, on the other hand, presents a reflection that appears to exist in front of the glass, thereby providing the illusion that they exist in a three-dimensional manner. Thomas believed that images, presented in this way could provide a more accurate, if not more interesting, manner of representing video data. She not only viewed the process as a potential breakthrough for commercial television, but also as scientific tool for NASA and its image delivery system.
Thomas applied for a patent for her process on December 28, 1978 and the patent was issued on October 21, 1980. The invention was similar to the technique of holographic production of image recording which uses coherent radiation and employs front wave reconstruction techniques which render the process unfeasible due to the enormous expense and complicated setup. Parabolic mirrors, however, can render these optical illusions with the use use of a concave mirror near the subject image and a second concave mirror at a remote site. In the description of her patent, the process is explained. "Optical illusions may be produced by parabolic mirrors wherein such images produced thereby are possessed with three dimensional attributes. The optical effect may be explained by the fact that the human eyes see an object from two view points separated laterally by about six centimeters. The two views show slightly different spatial relationships between near and near distant objects and the visual process fuses these stereoscopic views to a single three dimensional impression. The same parallax view of an object may be experienced upon reflection of an object seen from a concave mirror." (http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4229761.html). The Illusion Transmitter would thus enable the users to render three-dimensional illusions in real-time.
Valerie Thomas continued working for NASA until 1995 when she retired. In addition to her work with the Illusion Transmitter she designed programs to research Halley's comet and ozone holes. She received numerous awards for her service, including the GSFC Award of Merit and the NASA Equal Opportunity Medal. In her career, she showed that the magic of fascination can often lead to concrete scientific applications for real-world problem-solving.
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 02:34 AM
Benjamin Thornton
In 1935, Benjamin Thornton created a device that could be attached to a telephone and could be set to record a voice message from a caller. By utilizing a clock attachment, the machine could also forward the messages as well as keep track of the time they were made.
This device was the predecessor of today's answering machine.
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 02:36 AM
C. J. Walker
Madame C. J. Walker was born on December 23, 1867 in Delta, Louisiana, the daughter of Owen and Minerva Breedlove. Her parents were former slaves working as sharecroppers and both died when Sarah was a child. As a result, Sarah was forced to move from one household to another. At age seven, she moved in with her sister Louvina and her husband. After suffering abuse from Louvina's husband, Sarah ran away and married Moses McWilliams when she was 14 years old. In 1885, she gave birth to their daughter Lelia. Two years later, Moses was murdered by a White lynch mob.
After this tragedy, Sarah moved with her daughter to St. Louis, Missouri where she worked as a cook and housecleaner. Unfortunately, all of the stress and hardship had begun to take its toll on her and she found her hair falling out. She tried several products which claimed would help her condition but to no avail. At this point Sarah had a dream in which a "big Black man appeared to me and told me what to mix up for my hair. Some of the remedy was grown in Africa, but I sent for it, put it on my scalp, and in a few weeks my hair was coming in faster than it had ever fallen out." After she shared her formula with some friends and found it successful for them as well, she realized that there were almost no hair products available for Blacks. She therefore decided to go into business, selling hair products to Black women.
In 1905 Sarah's brother died and she moved to Denver, Colorado to live with her sister-in-law. When she arrived in Denver she had only $2.00 in her pocket yet she worked during the day as a cook in order to finance her part time business. At this point she met Charles Joseph "C.J." Walker, a newspaperman with an innate ability for marketing. She married Walker on January 4, 1906 and the couple set up the "Madam CJ Walker Manufacturing Company" and began placing advertisements in Black newspapers throughout the United States. Although they proved a successful team, they disagreed as to how much the company should grow. After years of struggling and suffering, Sarah wanted her company to grow immensely and divorced him in order to devote herself to the business (he stayed on as a sales agent for the company.). She continued on with many of the ideas he had passed on to her, including going door-to-door to sell the products. Her hard work paid off and in 1906 she brought her daughter Lelia, a recent college graduate, in to manage the company.
While Lelia ran much of the company, Sarah traveled across the country and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean marketing the products and developing new ones. She also sought to bring more women into the company, desiring to empower them and give them a way of rising above the constraints set by a male dominated society.
In 1908, Sarah started Lelia College in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which trained women to sell her products door-to-door and by 1910 had more than 1,000 sales agents. In that year, she moved the company's headquarters to Indianapolis, Indiana and soon the company grew beyond anyone's expectations. By 1914, the woman who only nine years earlier had only $2.00 to her name was now worth more than one million dollars. Her products ranged from hair conditioners and facial creams to hot combs specially made for the hair of Black consumers.
After her early suffering and poverty plagued existence, Sarah McWilliams had looked for a way out and as Madame C.J. Walker was able to purchase a 34 room mansion built off of the Hudson River in New York. When she died on May 25, 1919, she was mourned throughout the Black community as a pioneer and a Black industrialist. For many women, White and Black, however, she had served as an inspiration and a role model.
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 02:38 AM
James Edward West
James Edward West was born on February 10, 1931 in Prince Edward County, Virginia. He was an inquisitive young boy, fascinated with electronics and always ready to take things apart to discover how they worked. His curiosity almost got the better of him when he was eight years old and decided repair a broken radio. Confident that he had fixed the radio, he plugged it into a ceiling outlet, standing on the brass footboard of his bed. Unfortunately, a bolt of 120 volts of electricity shot through his body, temporarily paralyzing him where he stood. Fortunately his brother was standing nearby and knocked him onto the floor, terminating the shock he was receiving. Undeterred, rather than being afraid he became even further intrigued by electronics and electricity.
Although his father had encouraged him to pursue an education, he pushed him to go to medical school, noting that very few Blacks were ever hired by universities for science oriented careers. His father was afraid that James was "taking the long road toward working at the post office." After graduating from high school, however, West enrolled at Temple University in 1953 and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics in 1957. While in school, he had worked during the summers as an intern for the Acoustics Research Department at Bell Laboratories in Murray Hills, New Jersey. Upon graduation he was hired by Bell Labs in a full-time position as an acoustical scientist specializing in electroacoustics, physical and architectural acoustics.
In 1960, West was teamed up with Gerhard M. Sessler, a German-born physicist, and the two were tasked to develop an inexpensive, highly sensitive and compact microphone. At the time, condenser microphones were used in most telephones, but were expensive to manufacture and necessitated the use of a large battery source. Microphones convert sound waves into electrical voltages, thus allowing the sound to be transmitted through a cord to a receiver.
Because of the associated expense of condenser microphones, they were impractical for everyday home usage. West and Sessler decided to use an electret (an electrical insulator material) using an inexpensive film made of teflon and stretched it taut so that it hung over the top of a metal surface. After being exposed to an electrical field, the electret was able to hold its charge. As West described, "as you talk into the microphone, pressure fluctuations in the air distort the film. Charges in the metal surface experience fluctuating forces as the polarized electret moves above it. As a result of these forces, a very small current flows from the metal surface through a wire that touches it." Their electret microphone solved every problem they were seeking to address. It was inexpensive, could hold a charge without having to be connected to a power source, was compact and durable and could be applied to common uses in the office or in the home. The final model was finished in 1962 and on January 14, 1964, the pair received patent number 3,118,022 for their "electroacoustic transducer." By 1968, the microphone was in wide scale production and was quickly adopted as the industry standard. Approximately 90% of microphones in use today are based on this invention and almost all telephones utilize it, as well as tape recorders, camcorders, baby monitors and hearing aids.
While the foil-electret microphone was his most noted invention, West obtained more than 100 U.S. and foreign patents over his lifetime and contributed to hundreds of technical papers and books on acoustics and physics. Perhaps his most significant contributions are his efforts to increase minority and female participation in the field of science. He has headed numerous programs with Bell Labs (founding member of the Association of Black Labs Employees) and upon retiring from the company in 2001 (as a Bell Labs Fellow), he became a research professor at Whiting School of Engineering at Johns Hopkins University (where he serves on the Divisional Diversity Council.
James WestJames West received many honors during his career, including being inducted into the Inventor's Hall of Fame in 1999, Inventor of the Year (by the state of New Jersey) in 1995, elected as the President of the Acoustical Society of America in 1998 and elected to the National Academy of Engineering the same year. In 2000, he was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Science by the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He undoubtedly is proud that he was able to exceed his father's expectations.
[ Last edited by changabula at 2007-6-4 02:39 AM ]
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 02:41 AM
Daniel Hale Williams
Daniel Hale Williams was born on January 18, 1856 in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. He was the fifth of seven children born to Daniel and Sarah Williams. Daniel's father was a barber and moved the family to Annapolis, Maryland but died shortly thereafter of tuberculosis. Daniel's mother realized she could not manage the entire family and sent some of the children to live with relatives. Daniel was apprenticed to a shoemaker in Baltimore but ran away to join his mother who had moved to Rockford, Illinois. He later moved to Edgerton, Wisconsin where he joined his sister and opened his own barber shop. After moving to nearby Janesville, Daniel became fascinated with a local physician and decided to follow his path. He began working as an apprentice to the physician (Dr. Henry Palmer) for two years and in 1880 entered what is now known as Northwestern University Medical School. After graduation from Northwestern in 1883, he opened his own medical office in Chicago, Illinois.
Because of primitive social and medical circumstances existing in that era, much of Williams early medical practice called for him to treat patients in their homes, including conducting occasional surgeries on kitchen tables. In doing so, Williams utilized many of the emerging antiseptic, sterilization procedures of the day and thereby gained a reputation for professionalism. He was soon appointed as a surgeon on the staff of the South Side Dispensary and then a clinical instructor in anatomy at Northwestern. In 1889 he was appointed to the Illinois State Board of Health and one year later set for to create an interracial hospital.
On January 23, 1891 Daniel Hale Williams established the Provident Hospital and Training School Association, a three story building which held 12 beds and served members of the community as a whole. The school also served to train Black nurses and utilized doctors of all races. Within its first year, 189 patients were treated at Provident Hospital and of those 141 saw a complete recovery, 23 had recovered significantly, three had seen change in their condition and 22 had died. For a brand new hospital, at that time, to see an 87% success rate was phenomenal considering the financial and health conditions of the patient, and primitive conditions of most hospitals. Much can be attributed to Williams insistence on the highest standards concerning procedures and sanitary conditions.
Two and a half years later, on July 9, 1893, a young Black man named James Cornish was injured in a bar fight, stabbed in the chest with a knife. By the time he was transported to Provident Hospital he was seeking closer and closer to death, having lost a great deal of blood and having gone into shock. Williams was faced with the choice of opening the man's chest and possibly operating internally when that was almost unheard of in that day in age. Internal operations were unheard of because any entrance into the chest or abdomen of a patient would almost surely bring with it resulting infection and therefore death. Williams made the decision to operate and opened the man's chest. He saw the damage to the man's pericardium (sac surrounding the heart) and sutured it, then applied antiseptic procedures before closing his chest. Fifty one days later, James Cornish walked out of Provident Hospital completely recovered and would go on to live for another fifty years. Unfortunately, Williams was so busy with other matters, he did not bother to document the event and others made claims to have first achieved the feat of performing open heart surgery. Fortunately, local newspapers of the day did spread the news and Williams received the acclaim he deserved. It should be noted however that while he is known as the first person to perform an open heart surgery, it is actually more noteworthy that he was the first surgeon to open the chest cavity successfully without the patient dying of infection. His procedures would therefore be used as standards for future internal surgeries.
In February 1894, Daniel Hale Williams was appointed as Chief Surgeon at the Freedmen's Hospital in Washington, D.C. and reorganized the hospital, creating seven medical and surgical departments, setting up pathological and bacteriological units, establishing a biracial staff of highly qualified doctors and nurses and established an internship program. Recognition of his efforts and their success came when doctors from all over the country traveled to Washington to view the hospital and to sit in on surgery performed there. Almost immediately there was an astounding increase in efficiency as well as a decrease in patient deaths.
During this time, Williams married Alice Johnson and the couple soon moved to Chicago after Daniel resigned from the Freedmen's hospital. He resumed his position as Chief Surgeon at Provident Hospital (which could now accommodate 65 patients) as well as for nearby Mercy Hospital and St. Luke's Hospital, an exclusive hospital for wealthy White patients. He was also asked to travel across the country to attend to important patients or to oversee certain procedures.
When the American Medical Association refused to accept Black members, Williams helped to set up and served as Vice-President of the National Medical Association. In 1912, Williams was appointed associate attending surgeon at St. Luke's and worked there until his retirement from the practice of medicine.
Upon his retirement, Daniel Hale Williams had bestowed upon him numerous honors and awards. He received honorary degrees from Howard and Wilberforce Universities, was named a charter member of the American College of Surgeons and was a member of the Chicago Surgical Society.
Williams died on August 4, 1931, having set standards and examples for surgeons, both Black and White, for years to come.
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 02:43 AM
Granville Woods
The magnitude of an inventors work can often be defined by the esteem in which he is held by fellow inventors. If this is the case, then Granville Woods was certainly a respected inventor as he was often referred to as the "Black Thomas Edison."
Granville Woods was born on April 23, 1856 in Columbus, Ohio. He spent his early years attending school until the age of 10 at which point he began working in a machine shop repairing railroad equipment and machinery. Intrigued by the electricity that powered the machinery, Woods studied other machine workers as they attended to different pieces of equipment and paid other workers to sit down and explain electrical concepts to him. Over the next few years, Woods moved around the country working on railroads and in steel rolling mills. This experience helped to prepare him for a formal education studying engineering (surprisingly, it is unknown exactly where he attended school but it is believed it was an eastern college.)
After two years of studying, Woods obtained a job as an engineer on a British steamship called the Ironsides. Two years later he obtained employment with D & S Railroads, driving a steam locomotive. Unfortunately, despite his high aptitude and valuable education and expertise, Woods was denied opportunities and promotions because of the color of his skin. Out of frustration and a desire to promote his abilities, Woods, along with his brother Lyates, formed the Woods Railway Telegraph Company in 1884. The company manufactured and sold telephone, telegraph and electrical equipment. One of the early inventions from the company was an improved steam boiler furnace and this was followed up by an improved telephone transmitter which had superior clarity of sound and could provide for longer range of distance for transmission.
In 1885, Woods patented a apparatus which was a combination of a telephone and a telegraph. The device, which he called "telegraphony," would allow a telegraph station to send voice and telegraph messages over a single wire. The device was so successful that he later sold it to the American Bell Telephone Company. In 1987, Woods developed his most important invention to date - a device he called Synchronous Multiplex Railway Telegraph. A variation of the "induction telegraph," it allowed for messages to be sent from moving trains and railway stations. By allowing dispatchers to know the location of each train, it provided for greater safety and a decrease in railway accidents.
Granville Woods often had difficulties in enjoying his success as other inventors made claims to his devices. Thomas Edison made one of these claims, stating that he had first created a similar telegraph and that he was entitled to the patent for the device. Woods was twice successful in defending himself, proving that there were no other devices upon which he could have depended or relied upon to make his device. After the second defeat, Edison decided that it would be better to work with Granville Woods than against him and thus offered him a position with the Edison Company.
In 1892, Woods used his knowledge of electrical systems in creating a method of supplying electricity to a train without any exposed wires or secondary batteries. Approximately every 12 feet, electricity would be passed to the train as it passed over an iron block. He first demonstrated the device as an amusement apparatus at the Coney Island amusement park and while it amused patrons, it would be a novel approach towards making safer travel for trains.
Many of Woods inventions attempted to increase efficiency and safety railroad cars, Woods developed the concept of a third rail which would allow a train to receive more electricity while also encountering less friction. This concept is still used on subway train platforms in major cities in the United States.
Over the course of his life time Granville Woods would obtain more than 50 patents for inventions including an automatic brake and an egg incubator and for improvements to other inventions such as safety circuits, telegraph, telephone, and phonograph. When he died on January 30, 1910 in New York City he had become an admired and well respected inventor, having sold a number of his devices to such giants as Westinghouse, General Electric and American Engineering - more importantly the world knew him as the Black Thomas Edison.
[ Last edited by changabula at 2007-6-4 02:44 AM ]
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 02:51 AM
Kenneth J. Dunkley
(3-D Viewing Glasses and Holography)
Kenneth J. Dunkley is currently the president of the Holospace Laboratories Inc. in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. He is best known for inventing Three Dimensional Viewing Glasses (3-DVG) ¨C his patented invention that displays 3-D effects from regular 2-D photos without any type of lenses, mirrors or optical elements. By studying human vision, Dunkley discovered that blocking two points in a person¡¯s peripheral vision will cause an ordinary picture to appear 3-Dimensional, so he developed his 3-DVG to block out these points.
In addition to his 3-DVG invention, Kenneth Dunkley also receives attention for his efforts as a visual pioneer. In Harrisburg, PA, at the Museum of Scientific Discovery, he has conducted visual effects workshops for four years. Dunkley is also a leader in the field of holography.
http://www.black-inventor.com/Kenneth-Dunkley.asp
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 02:54 AM
Dr. Betty Harris
Born and raised in Monroe, Louisiana, the young Betty Harris was interested in chemistry. At college she obtained a BS degree in chemistry from Southern University and an MS degree in chemistry from Atlanta University.
Harris then started to work as a visiting staff member for the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. The Los Alamos National Laboratory focuses primarily on field and laboratory studies of geological processes related to environmental issues. After working for some time and gaining more exposure to the field of research, she decided to become a research chemist and earned her Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico.
As a research chemist at Los Alamos, Betty Harris worked in the areas of hazardous waste treatment and environmental restoration facilities contaminated with energetic materials such as propellants, gun propellants, and explosives. She eventually became a noted expert in the chemistry of explosives. Recently, she has even worked with Girl Scouts to develop a chemistry badge that is similar to the chemistry merit badge for Boy Scouts. Through her research, Harris obtained a patent for her invention of a spot test for identifying explosives in a field environment. She has received the state¡¯s Governor¡¯s Trailblazer Award for her achievements.
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 02:56 AM
African-American Inventors of Our Times
Continued successes, improving opportunities
African-Americans are still underrepresented in technology and the sciences; but great progress has been made since the 1960s, especially in the realm of higher education. Today, many universities, such as U. Cal. Berkeley and Purdue, have programs which aid and encourage minorities to become involved in science and invention.
The greatest progress has come in medicine, thanks to battles against discrimination fought by Drs. Daniel Hale Williams (1856-1931), Louis Tompkins Wright (1891-1952), and Charles Richard Drew (1904-1950), among others. Drew, the first black American to earn a Doctor of Science degree (Columbia U., 1940), pioneered the use of blood plasma in transfusions, co-founded one of the first U.S. blood banks, and standardized international blood donation and storage---this saved thousands of lives during World War II. Recently, inventor and educator Dr. Patricia E. Bath of Los Angeles, a renowned ophthalmologist, has patented (1988) an apparatus that efficiently removes cataracts.
African-American inventors have also improved the lives of the physically challenged. Bessie J. (Griffin) Blount, a physical therapist who worked with soldiers injured in World War II, patented a device (1951) that allows those who have lost the use of their limbs to feed themselves without assistance. More recently, Rufus J. Weaver patented a wheelchair that climbs stairs.
In technology, W. Lincoln Hawkins, Ph.D. stands out, with 18 U.S. and 129 foreign patents. The first African-American scientist to work for Bell Labs, Hawkins made universal telephone service possible by co-inventing a chemical additive that prevents the plastic coating on telecommunications cables from deteriorating. He won the National Medal of Technology in the year of his death (1992).
African-American engineers have also taken the tradition of domestic inventions to a high-tech level. David Crosthwait (died 1976, with 34 U.S. and 80 foreign patents) designed the heating system of New York's Rockefeller Center (1931). Marie Van Brittain Brown and Albert L. Brown co-patented (1969) an audio-visual door-monitor / home security system. Today, engineer and entrepreneur Clarence L. Elder of Baltimore has earned a number of patents (1975- ) for his energy-saving "Occustat" system, which uses motion detectors to allow thermostats to be lowered in a building's unoccupied rooms.
Today one can find African-Americans in top technical and administrative positions in industry, academia, and government. Thanks especially to these leaders, opportunities for black aspiring inventors are increasing each year. It is certain that the tradition of African-American invention that began with Benjamin Banneker will continue, and expand, through the 21st century.
[Feb. 1997]
http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/AAweek4.html
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 03:03 AM
Modern black inventors
Ebony, Oct, 1998
WHEN we think of Black inventors, names like Garrett Morgan and George Washington Carver usually come to mind. But there are many modern-day inventors who have been responsible for groundbreaking developments that have changed America and the world. From Mark Dean's cutting edge work in computer technology at IBM to chemist Michel Molaire's innovations at Eastman Kodak, African. Americans have played an integral role in some of the most important creations of recent time. And while there are only three Blacks in the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Joanne M. Hayes-Rines, president of United Inventors Association of USA, says the facts speak for themselves. "Everyone always thinks of an inventor as an old White man, but women and Blacks are also out there following dreams," Hayes-Rines says. "They are making significant contributions to society."
Among these inventors of dreams are the men and women on the following pages.
Dr. Patricia Guth has been on the cutting edge of laser eye surgery for the last decade. In 1988, the ophthalmologist patented a laser device, called the Laserphaco Probe, that promises to revolutionize the removal of cataracts. Before her invention, cataracts could only be removed by an instrument that would mechanically grind away the lesion, a process that is disruptive to the eye. Dr. Bath's device remakes cataract removal a much more accurate and less bothersome procedure. She is currently a professor at Howard University's School of Medicine and is developing other ophthalmological devices.
Mark Dean has been one of the masterminds behind IBM's computer technology for the last two decades. He is best known for creating (along with IBM colleague Dennis Moeller) the ISA systems bus, an interface that allows multiple devices, such as a modem and printer, to be connected to a personal computer. Created in 1984, ISA now is used in every computer built today. The electrical engineer holds more than 20 patents, including three of IBM's original nine PC patents. Last year, Dean received the Black Engineer of the Year President's Award, the Ronald H. Brown Innovators Award and became only the third African-American to be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Director of IBM's Austin, Texas, research laboratory, Dean is also an IBM Fellow, the first and only Black to achieve the company's highest honor, and one of only 50 fellows among IBM's 200,000 employees.
Tanya Allen received a patent for disposable underwear that she hopes will revolutionize the female and male hygiene market. Made from an inexpensive rayon, non-woven material and a patented pouch, Forever Fresh Disposable Panties were initially developed for women to wear during menstruation. But now it is being marketed to men (in boxer and brief styles) and women for various medical uses, including incontinence and post-operative recovery. A native of Detroit, Allen has already secured contracts with labor and delivery departments at several hospitals, including The Detroit Medical Center and Botsford Hospital. The mother of four recently quit her job as a manager of a grocery store to work full-time on her invention.
Dennis Weatherby created the lemon formula in Cascade dishwashing liquid while working as a process engineer at Procter & Gamble Co. in Cincinnati, Ohio. His invention is now the basis for the composition of all "lemon" cleaning products that contain bleach. He discovered a unique category of dyes that successfully gives a non-staining yellow color to detergents that contain bleach. Before Weatherby's creation, pigments that stained dishes and dishwasher parts were used instead of dyes. Weatherby, 38, is now the director of minority engineering programs at Auburn University in Alabama.
Betty Harris has more than 20 years of experience in scientific research and development. A pioneer in the area of explosives and nuclear weapons, Harris is probably best known for patenting a spot test for an explosive called TATB. The chemist works for the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, where she received the state's Governor's Trailblazer Award.
Michel Molaire has played an integral role in groundbreaking innovations at Eastman Kodak for more than 20 years. The chemist is a research associate and project manager at Kodak in New York. A native of St. Marc, Haiti, Molaire is the recipient of 28 U.S. patents and more than 65 foreign patents for his work in material sciences. Much of Molaire's work has been in the area of laser printing and optical recording. In 1984, he received the Eastman Kodak Research Laboratories C.E.K. Mees Award for excellence in scientific research and reporting, and later was inducted into the company's Distinguished Inventor's Gallery. He is one of the top patentholders at Kodak.
Paul Brown is one of the most prolific inventors of recent time. Now 81, Brown has more than 20 patents, but is best known for creating the Whizzzer, a friction-activated spinning top that has become one of the world's best-selling toys. First marketed by Mattel in 1970, the top is a perennial favorite among children and has become as popular as the yo-yo and the Frisbee, with annual sales topping more than 1 million items. Brown came up with the idea for the Whizzzer, after attempting to continuously spin a cumbersome, string-activated top for his 4-year-old nephew. Believing there had to be an easier way, Brown worked on a new top in his home for about a week before coming up with the Whizzzer in 1967. Today, he continues to get royalties from the top, which is now marketed by Duncan.
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 03:16 AM
Black Inventors
by Nathan Aaseng
Review:
Although patenting a process to extract sugar from cane in 1846 made Norbert Rillieux very wealthy, he still could not walk New Orleans streets safely or visit whites in their homes. As was typical with other black inventors, he received little public recognition for his work. Train engineers were "reluctant to have a black man supervise the installation" of a greatly improved engine lubricating system--even when the supervisor was the inventor himself, Elijah McCoy. Madam C. J. Walker couldn't get her hair-care products displayed in stores, and Garrett Morgan resorted to impersonation to demonstrate his gas mask. With engaging flair, Aaseng tells of 10 black inventors, the problems they overcame, and the often slow, frustrating road to ingenious achievement. A bibliography, a chronology, and photographs supplement each chapter as do patent drawings where appropriate. This is a little longer and more detailed than Jim Haskins' similar Outward Dreams: Black Inventors and Their Inventions (1991), covering many of the same figures. See also Haskin's African American Entrepreneurs, reviewed below. Anne O'Malley
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 03:19 AM
Outward Dreams: Black Inventors and Their Inventions
by Jim Haskins
Review
¡°Helps fill the void of lost information concerning the role black Americans played in shaping the history of our country.¡±¡ªSchool Library Journal
Book Description
The art of invention knows no color. But in the early days, patents for new inventions were not available to blacks. Until they were considered citizens, black inventors were ignored, or their masters took credit for their discoveries. After the Civil War, black inventors still had to fight educational disadvantages and prejudice. Their struggles and their genius come alive on these pages through the words of master storyteller Jim Haskins.
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 05:31 PM
1721
Onesimes Developed a cure for the smallpox virus.
1752
Benjamin Banneker
* created the first clock ever built in the United States
* first Black Presidential appointee
* developed the layout for the streets and monuments for the nation's capitol, Washington, D.C., including the White House, Capitol building and Treasury building
1821
Thomas L. Jennings Receives a patent for a dry-cleaning process.
Is the first patent issued to a Black person.
1834
Henry Blair Receives a patent for a corn-planting machine.
1836
Henry Blair Receives a patent for a cotton-planting machine.
1843
Norbert Rillieux Developed a method for refining sugar. It consisted of a series of vacuum pans combined in a step-by-step process to make heated evaporated sugar into crystallized granules.
1848
Lewis Temple Developed the Toggle Harpoon.
1850
James Forten Developed a control for Ship Sails.
1853
Elfe Was a slave and pharmacist in South Caroline. According to some accounts, he kept a prescription book, last dated 1853, in which he outlined several drugs he created. Apparently, Elfe also sold his concoctions, though little is known about those creations.
1858
Sarah E. Goode Received a patent for her design of a folding cabinet bed, the predecessor of the sofabed.
1867
H. Lee Received a patent for an animal trap.
W. A. Deitz Received a patent for a shoe design.
1870
T. Elkins Received a patent for a combination dining/ironing table/quilting frame.
J. W. West Received a patent for a wagon design
H. Spears Received a patent for a portable shield for infantry personnel.
1871
L. Bell Received a patent for a train smokestack.
1872
T. Elkins Received a patent for a chamber commode.
T. J. Byrd Received a patent for horse reins.
T. J. Byrd Received a patent for a horse and carriage device.
T. J. Byrd Received a patent for a horse yoke design.
T. J. Marshall Received a patent for a fire extinguisher design.
1872
Elijah McCoy Acquired his first patent for his invention of an automatic lubricating device , allowing a moving steam engine to be lubricated without having to first stop it.
L. Bell Received a patent for a dough kneader.
1873
Elijah McCoy Received a second patent for a modification of automatic lubricating device.
1874
Lewis Howard Latimer and Brown Received a patent for an improved of a train water closet, a bathroom compartment for railroad trains.
E. H. Hutton Received a patent for a cotton cultivator.
Elijah McCoy Received a patent for a ironing table.
H. Pickett Received a patent for a scaffold design.
T. J. Byrd Received a patent for a train coupling design.
1875
D. A. Fisher Received a patent for a joiners' clamp.
A. P. Ashborne Receives a patent for a process for preparation of coconut oil.
H. H. Nash Received a patent for a life preserving stool.
A. P. Ashborne Received a patent for a biscuit cutter.
1876
D. A. Fisher Received a patent for a furniture castor.
T. A. Carrington Received a patent for a range.
1877
A. P. Ashborne Received a patent for a process for treatment of coconut oil.
1878
B. H. Taylor Received a patent for a rotary design engine.
J. R. Winters Received a patent for a fire escape ladder.
W. R. Davis, Jr. Received a patent for a library table.
W. A. Lavalette Received a patent for a variation on the printing press.
O. Dorsey Received a patent for a door-handling device.
1879
M. W. Binga Received a patent for a street-sprinkling apparatus.
William Bailes Received a patent for a ladder scaffolding support system.
T. Elkins Received a patent for a refrigerating device.
[ Last edited by changabula at 2007-6-4 05:37 PM ]
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 05:38 PM
1880 S. R. Scottron Received a patent for an adjustable window cornice.
J. N. Waller Received a patent for a shoemaker's cabinet.
A. P. Ashbourne Received a patent for a coconut oil refining process.
T. B. Pinn Received a patent for a file holder design.
P. Johnson Received a patent for an eye protector.
1881 J. Wormley Received a patent for a lifesaving apparatus.
W. S. Campbell Received a patent for a self-setting animal trap.
Lewis Howard Latimer and Joseph V. Nichols Received a patent for their invention of an improvement of the incandescent light bulb with a carbon filament.
P. Johnson Received a patent for a swinging chairs designs.
1882 Lewis Howard Latimer and Tregoning Received a patent for a globe support for an electric lamp.
E. Little Received a patent for a bridle bit design.
A. C. Richardson Received a patent for a hame fastener.
W. B. Purvis Received a patent for a bag fastener.
Lewis Howard Latimer Received a patent for manufacturing carbons.
1883 S. R. Scottron Received a patent for a cornice.
W. B. Purvis Received a patent for a hand stamp.
H. H. Reynolds Received a patent for a railway window ventilator.
J. Cooper Received a patent for a shutter and fastening device.
W. Washington Received a patent for a corn-husking machine.
L. C. Bailey Received a patent for a combination truss and bandage.
S. E. Thomas Received a patent for a waste trap.
1884 C. L. Mitchell Received a patent for a phneterisin.
W. Johnson Received a patent for an eggbeater.
L. Blue Received a patent for a corn-shelling device.
Granville Woods Received a patent for a steam boiler.
T. S. Church Received a patent for a carpet-beating machine.
J. W. Reed Received a patent for a dough kneader and roller.
Granville Woods Received a patent for a telephone transmitter.
John P. Parker Received a patent for a tobacco press and screw.
1885 G. T. Sampson Received a patent for a sled propeller.
W. F. Cosgrove Received a patent for an automatic stop plug for gas oil pipes.
Granville Woods Received a patent for an apparatus for transmitting messages by electricity.
Elijah McCoy Received a patent for a steam dome.
Sarah Goode Receives a patent for a folding cabinet bed.
W. C. Carter Received a patent for an umbrella stand.
1886 Lewis Howard Latimer Received a patent for an apparatus for disinfecting and cooling.
R. F. Fleming, Jr. Received a patent for a guitar design.
J. Ricks Received a patent for a horseshoe design.
W. Marshall Received a patent for a grain binder.
W. H. Richardson Received a patent for a cotton chopper.
W. D. Davis Received a patent for a riding saddle.
M. Headen Received a patent for a foot power hammer.
Henry Brown Received a patent for a paper storer.
I. D. Davis Received a patent for a tonic.
J. Robinson Received a patent for a dinner pail.
Jan Matzeliger Received a patent for his Lasting Machine which revolutionized the shoe industry.
1887 E. W. Stewart Received a patent for a machine for making vehicle seat bars.
J. Gregory Received a patent for a motor design.
Elijah McCoy Received a patent for a lubricator attachment.
E. R. Lewis Received a patent for a spring gun.
Elijah McCoy Received a patent for a safety valve lubricator.
D. W. Shorter Received a patent for a feed rack.
E. W. Stewart Received a patent for a punching machine.
Granville T. Woods Received a patent for a relay instrument.
Granville T. Woods Received a patent for a polarized relay.
Granville T. Woods Received a patent for a electromechanical brake.
R. Hawkins Received a patent for a harness attachment.
A. Miles Received a patent for an elevator concept.
Granville T. Woods Received a patent for a phone system and apparatus.
Granville T. Woods Received a patent for a railway signal.
Granville T. Woods Received a patent for an induction telegraph system.
Stewart and Johnson Received a patent for a metal bending machine.
1888 A. B. Blackburn Received a patent for a railway signal.
D. Johnson Received a patent for a rotary dining table.
A. B. Blackburn Received a patent for a spring seat for chairs.
M. A. Cherry Received a patent for a velocipede design.
Granville T. Woods Received a patent for an overhead conducting system for electric trains.
Granville T. Woods Received a patent for an electromotive train system.
Miriam Benjamin Received a patent for a Gong and Signal Chair that could be used in hotels and restaurants. It worked by pressing a small button on the back of a chair which would relay a signal to a waiting attendant. At the same time a light would illuminate on the chair allowing the attendant to see which guest was in need of assistance.
Granville T. Woods Received a patent for a galvanic battery.
A. B. Blackburn Received a patent for a cash carrier.
O. B. Claire Received a patent for a trestle design.
P. W. Cornwall Received a patent for a draft regulator.
S. E. Thomas Received a patent for a pipe connection design.
J. S. Coolidge Received a patent for a harness attachment.
R. N. Hyde Received a patent for a carpet cleaner formula.
H. Creamer Received a patent for a steam trap feeder.
W. A. Johnson Received a patent for a paint vehicle.
Frank Winn Received a patent for a direct acting steam engine.
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 05:39 PM
1889 Granville T. Woods Received a patent for an automatic safety cutout for electric circuit.
H. Peterson Received a patent for a lawn mower attachment.
A. Romain Received a patent for a passenger register.
Purdy and Sadgwar Received a patent for a folding chair design.
W. H. Richardson Received a patent for a child's carriage.
W. A. Martin Received a patent for a lock design.
D. Johnson Received a patent for a lawn mower attachment.
J. Standard Received a patent for an oil stove design.
Elijah McCoy and Hodges Received a patent for a lubricating device.
1890 W. B. Purvis Received a patent for a fountain pen.
F. J. Ferrell Received a patent for a steam trap.
Jan Matzeliger Received a patent for a tack-seperating mechanism.
H. Faulkner Received a patent for a ventilated shoe.
F. J. Ferrell Received a patent for a snow-melting device.
P. B. Downing Received a patent for an electric railroad switch.
D. Johnson Received a patent for a lawn mower grass catcher.
A. Pugsley Received a patent for a blind stop.
A. F. Hilyer Received a patent for a water evaporator attachment for hot-air register.
J. W. Benton Received a patent for a derrick for hoisting.
H. H. Reynolds Received a patent for a safety gate for bridges.
Snow and Johns Received a patent for a liniment formula.
Isaac Watkins Received a patent for a scrubbing frame.
D. McCree Received a patent for a portable fire escape.
1891 Daniel Hale Williams Opens Provident Hospital in Chicago, which includes a school to train black doctors and nurses.
W. Murray Received a patent for an attachment for bicycles.
P. D. Smith Received a patent for a potato digger.
A. C. Richardson Received a patent for a churn design.
W. B. Abrams Received a patent for a hame attachment.
G. Toliver Received a patent for a propeller design.
J. Standard Received a patent for a refrigerator design.
W. Queen Received a patent for a guard for companionways and hatches.
H. Linden Received a patent for a piano truck.
Jan Matzeliger Received a patent for improvements to his shoe lasting machine.
Elijah McCoy Received a patent for a oil drip cup.
P. B. Downing Received a patent for a letter box design.
Granville T. Woods Received a patent for an electric railway system.
1892
Henry A. Bowman Received a patent for a flag-making technique.
F. R. Perryman Received a patent for a caterer's tray table.
P. D. Smith Received a patent for a grain binder.
C. Williams Received a patent for a canopy frame.
Sarah Boone Came up with an idea for a narrow wooden board, with collapsible leg supports and covered with padding. Prior to her ironing board, this task normally required taking a plank and placing it between two chairs or simply using the dining table.
R. Coates Received a patent for an overboot design for horses.
G. T. Sampson Received a patent for a clothes dryer.
Andrew Beard Received a patent for as rotary engine.
O. E. Brown Received a patent for a horseshoe design.
S. R. Scottron Received a patent for a curtain rod.
A. L. Lewis Received a patent for a window cleaner.
G. E. Becket Received a patent for a letter box design.
L. F. Brown Received a patent for a bridle bit.
F. J. Loudin Received a patent for a sash fastener.
1893
Daniel Hale Williams Was the first doctor in the world to perform a successful open-heart operation.
P. W. Cornwall Received a patent for a draft regulator.
J. R. Watts Received a patent for a bracket for miners' lamps.
L. W. Benjamin Received a patent for a broom moistener and bridle.
T. W. Stewart Received a patent for the mop.
T. W. Stewart Received a patent for a station indicator.
E. R. Robinson Received a patent for an electronic trolley design.
C. B. Brooks Received a patent for a punch.
1894
F. J. Loudin Received a patent for a key fastener.
George Washington Murray Received a patent for a furrow opener/stalk knocker.
George Washington Murray Received a patent for a cultivator and marker.
S. Newson Received a patent for an oil heater and cooker.
George Washington Murray Received a patent for a planter design.
George Washington Murray Received a patent for a cotton chopper.
George Washington Murray Received a patent for a fertilizer distributor.
George Washington Murray Received a patent for a combined cotton seed.
R. H Gray Received a patent for a bailing press.
Joseph Lee Received a patent for a bread-kneading machine.
A. C. Richardson Received a patent for a casket-lowering device.
1895
M. A. Cherry Received a patent for a streetcar fender.
J. T. Dawkins Received a patent for a ventilation aid.
H. Creamer Received a patent for a steam feed water trap design.
C. J. Dorticus Received a patent for a shoe-drying device.
J. Cooper Received a patent for a elevator device.
C. J. Dorticus Received a patent for a photo print wash.
C. J. Dorticus Received a patent for a photo embossing machine.
R. H. Gray Received a patent for a cistern cleaners.
Purdy and Peters Received a patent for a spoon design.
W. B. Purvis Received a patent for a magnetic car-balancing device.
Joseph Lee Received a patent for a bread-crumbling machine.
J. L. Love Received a patent for a plasterers' hawk.
L. A. Russell Received a patent for a guard attachment for a bed.
E. H. Holmes Received a patent for a gauge design.
J. B. Allen Received a patent for a clothesline support.
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 05:40 PM
1896 W. D. Davis Received a patent for a riding saddle.
H. Grenon Received a patent for a razor stropping device.
William H. Johnson Received a patent for overcoming dead centers.
Jan Matzeliger Received a patent for a shoe-nailing machine.
C. B. Brooks Received a patent for a street sweeper.
Lewis Howard Latimer Received a patent for a locking coat and hat rack.
D. N. Roster Received a patent for a feather curler.
A. J. Polk Received a patent for a bicycle support.
W. S. Grant Received a patent for a curtain rod support.
O'Conner and Turner Received a patent for an alarm for boilers.
O'Conner and Turner Received a patent for a steam gauge design.
H. A. Jackson Received a patent for a kitchen table design.
K. Morehead Received a patent for a reel carrier.
W. Purdy Received a patent for a tool sharpener.
Granville T. Woods Received a patent for an electricity distribution system.
J. H Hunter Received a patent for a portable weighing scale.
J. F. Hammonds Received a patent for a yarn holder device.
J. T. White Received a patent for a lemon squeezer.
1897 D. L. White Received a patent for car extensions steps.
A. L. Cralle Received a patent for an ice cream mold.
P. Walker Received a patent for a machine for cleaning seed cotton.
J. H. Dunnington Received a patent for horse detachers.
W. H. Jackson Received a patent for a railway switch design.
W. U. Moody Received a patent for a game board design.
W. H. Phelps Received a patent for a vehicle washing apparatus.
J. W. Smith Received a patent for a lawn sprinkler design.
R. A. Butler Received a patent for a train alarm.
C. V. Richey Received a patent for a car-coupling design.
T. H. Edmonds Received a patent for a seperating screen.
B. H. Taylor Received a patent for a slide valve.
W. B. Purvis Received a patent for an electric railway switch.
L. P. Ray Received a patent for a dust pan.
C. V. Richey Received a patent for a railway switch design.
J. H. Haines Received a patent for a portable basin.
F. W. Leslie Received a patent for an envelope seal design.
J. H. Evans Received a patent for a convertible settee.
Andrew J. Beard Invents the "Jenny Coupler," an automatic system for coupling railroad cars.
J. L. Love Received a patent for a pencil sharpener.
E. R. Robinson Received a patent for a casting composite.
J. A. Sweeting Received a patent for a cigarette-rolling device.
C. V. Richey Received a patent for a fire escape bracket.
1898 R. Hearness Received a patent for a bottle cap design.
A. L. Rickman Received a patent for an overshoe.
W. J. Ballow Received a patent for a combined coatrack/table.
Benjamin F. Jackson Received a patent for a heating apparatus.
P. Walker Received a patent for a bait holder.
J. A. Joyce Received a patent for an ore bucket.
Benjamin F. Jackson Received a patent for a matrix drying apparatus.
A. L. Ross Received a patent for a bag closure.
J. A. Sweeting Received a patent for a knife/scoop design.
G. A. E. Barnes Received a patent for a sign design.
W. H. Jackson Received a patent for an automatic locking switch.
Jones and Long Received a patent for a bottle cap.
C. O. Bailiff Received a patent for a shampoo headrest.
C. W. Allen Received a patent for a self-leveling table.
F. H. Harding Received a patent for an extension banquet table.
Elijah McCoy Received a patent for an oil cup.
L. D. Newman Received a patent for a brush design.
J. W. Outlaw Received a patent for a horseshoe design.
C. V. Richey Received a patent for a hammock-stretcher.
1899 J. H. Dickenson Received a patent for a pianola.
E. P. Ray Received a patent for a chair supporting device.
A. C. Richardson Received a patent for an insect destroyer.
L. F. Booker Received a patent for a rubber scraping device.
J. H. Robinson Received a patent for a train safety guard.
Benjamin F. Jackson Received a patent for a gas burner.
J. A. Burr Received a patent for a lawn mower.
G. Cook Received a patent for an automatic fishing device.
R. R. Reynolds Received a patent for a nonrefillable bottle.
F. W. Griffin Received a patent for a pool table attachment.
W. Johnson Received a patent for a velocipede design.
W. J. Nickerson Received a patent for a mandolin and guitar attachment for pianos.
J. Ricks Received a patent for an overshoe for horses.
L. C. Bailey Received a patent for a folding bed.
B. F. Cargill Received a patent for an invalid cot.
C. J. Dorticus Received a patent for a hose leak stopper.
R. Hearness Received a patent for a detachable car fender.
A. R. Cooper Received a patent for a shoemakers jack.
Elijah McCoy Received a patent for a lawn sprinkler system.
J. Ross Received a patent for a baling press.
E. H. West Received a patent for a weather shield.
W. F. Burr Received a patent for a railway switching device.
J. W. Butts Received a patent for a luggage carrier.
I. R. Johnson Received a patent for a bicycle frame.
J. P. Williams Received a patent for a pillow sham holder.
W. Burwell Received a patent for a boot or shoe.
Jan Matzeliger Received a patent for a tack-distributing system.
A. Mendenhall Received a patent for a holder for driving reins.
A. L. Ross Received a patent for a trousers support.
George Grant Received a patent for a golf tee.
J. M. Certain Received a patent for a parcel carrier for bicycles.
J. B. Rhodes Received a patent for a water closet design.
A. C. Richardson Received a patent for a bottle design.
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 05:40 PM
1900
S. W. Gunn Received a patent for a boot or shoe design.
J. M. Mitchell Received a patent for a corn planter design.
J. F. Pickering Received a patent for an airship.
Madame C. J. Walker Received a patent for a hot comb.
1901
Granville T. Woods Received a patent for a regulating and controlling electrical translating devices.
1902
Granville T. Woods Received a patent for an automatic air brake.
1905
Lewis Howard Latimer Received a patent for a book support.
1910
Richard B. Spikes Received a patent for a locking billiard cue.
Lewis Howard Latimer Received a patent for a lamp fixture.
1912 Frederick M. Johnson Received a patent for a self-feeding rapid-fire rifle.
Ernest Everett Just Appointed head of Howard's biology department.
1914 Garrett A. Morgan Received a patent for a gas mask.
1921 Hubert Julian Received a patent for an airplane safety device.
1923 Garrett A. Morgan Inventor of the gas mask, receives the patent on November 20 for the automatic traffic light, which he sells to General electric for $40,000.
1925 William Hale Received a patent for an airplane improvement.
1926 Richard. B. Spikes Received a patent for a milk bottle cover/opener.
1928 Marjorie Joyner Received a patent for a hair wave machine.
1930 Solomon Harper Received a patent for a electric hair treatment.
1931 Percy Julian Received a patent for a physostigmine, a drug for the treatment of the eye disease glaucoma.
Richard. B. Spikes Received a patent for a method and apparatus for obtaining average samples and temperature of tank liquids.
1932 Richard. B. Spikes Received a patent for an automatic gear shift design.
1938 Lloyd Hall Received a patent for a method for sterilizing foodstuff.
1939 Richard. B. Spikes Received a patent for an automatic shoe shine chair.
Frederick M. Jones Received a patent for a movie ticket-dispensing machine.
1940 Richard. B. Spikes Received a patent for a multiple-barrel machine gun.
Percy Julian Received a patent for a method for recovery of sterol.
1941 Charles R. Drew
After having established a pioneer blood bank operation at New York City Presbyterian Hospital, is named professor of surgery at Howard University. He establishes donor banks in many states to collect blood for the U.S. Armed Forces.
1942 Joseph Blair Received a patent for a speedboat design.
1944 Lloyd Hall Received a patent for a puncture-sealing mixture.
Joseph Blair Received a patent for a aerial torpedo design.
1945 Frederick M. Jones Received a patent for a two-cycle engine.
1949 Lloyd Hall Received a patent for a preserving process.
Frederick M. Jones Received a patent for an air conditioning design.
Frederick M. Jones Received a patent for a starter generator for cooling gas engines.
1950 Frederick M. Jones Received a patent for a rotary compressor.
Frederick M. Jones Received a patent for a refrigeration unit design.
Frederick M. Jones Received a patent for a two-cycle gasoline engine.
Frederick M. Jones Received a patent for a refrigeration construction design.
1951 G. S. Bluford Sr. Received a patent for an artillery ammunition training round.
1953 Solomon Harper Received a patent for a thermostatic control hair curlers.
1954 Frederick M. Jones Received a patent for a defrosting method.
Percy Julian Received a patent for a preparation of cortisone.
Frederick M. Jones Received a patent for an air-conditioning method.
1958 Frederick M. Jones Received a patent for a combustion-engine device.
1960 Robert Bundy Received a patent for a signal generator design.
Frederick M. Jones Received a patent for a thermostat design.
1966 Betsy Ancker Johnson Received a patent for a signal generator design.
1968 Paul Brown Received a patent for a "Wiz-z-zer" spinning top toy.
1969 M. C. Gourdine Received a patent for an electrogas dynamic apparatus.
George R. Carruthers Received a patent for an ultraviolet spectrograph.
1971 Bayliss and Emrick Received a patent for an encapsulation process.
1972 Earl Shaw Received a patent for a spin fly tunable laser.
1973 Al Prather Received a patent for a man-powered glider aircraft.
1978 Christian Reeburg Received a patent for a grease gun stand.
1980 Levi Watkins, Jr. First surgeon to implant an automatic defibrillator in the human heart, a device that corrects arrhythmia, or a failure of the heart to pump properly.
1981 Richard L. Saxton Received a patent for a tissue dispenser for telephone booths.
1986 Carter, Weiner, Youmans Received a patent for a distributed pulse-forming network for magnetic modulators.
1987 Dixon, AuCoin, Malik Received a patent for a monolithic planar doped barrier.
1988 Bertram O. Fraser-Reid Biochemist at Duke University, develops and patents a method for linking simple sugars together to form oligasaccharides, compounds that are vitally important in regulating various biological activities.
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 06:19 PM
George Edward Alcorn, Jr.
(invented a method of fabricating an imaging X-ray spectrometer)
George Edward AlcornGeorge Edward Alcorn, Jr. received a four-year academic scholarship to Occidental College in Los Angeles, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Physics. George Edward Alcorn received his degree with honors while earning eight letters in basketball and football. George Edward Alcorn earned a Master of Science in Nuclear Physics in 1963 from Howard University, after nine months of study. During the summers of 1962 and 1963, George Alcorn worked as a research engineer for the Space Division of North America Rockwell. He was involved with the computer analysis of launch trajectories and orbital mechanics for Rockwell missiles, including the Titan I and II, Saturn IV, and the Nova.
George Edward Alcorn patentIn 1967, George Edward Alcorn earned a Ph.D. in Atomic and Molecular Physics from Howard University. Between 1965-67 Alcorn conducted research on negative ion formation under a NASA-sponsored grant. Dr. George Edward Alcorn holds eight patents in the United States and Europe on semiconductor technology, one of which is a method of fabricating an imaging X-ray spectrometer. His area of research includes: adaptation of chemical ionization mass spectrometers for the detection of amino acids and development of other experimental methods for planetary life detection; classified research involved with missile reentry and missile defense; design and building of space instrumentation, atmospheric contaminant sensors, magnetic mass spectrometers, mass analyzers; and development of new concepts of magnet design and the invention of a new type of x-ray spectrometer.and limbs.
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blbennett.htm#Alcorn
Below: Patent Number 4,618,380 - Method of fabricating an imaging X-ray spectrometer
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 06:22 PM
Virgie Ammons
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blammons.htm
Virgie Ammons was an inventor and women of color who invented a device for dampening fireplaces. Little is known about the life of Virgie Ammons. You can view the patent for the Virgie Ammons invention below:
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-4 08:11 PM
Edmond Berger
Some historians have reported that Edmond Berger invented an early spark plug on February 2, 1839. However, Edmond Berger did not patent his invention. Spark plugs are used in internal combustion engines and in 1839 these engines were in the early days of experimentation. Therefore, Edmund Berger's spark plug if it did exist would have had to have been very experimental in nature as well or perhaps the date was a mistake.
According to Britannica a spark plug or sparking plug is, "a device that fits into the cylinder head of an internal-combustion engine and carries two electrodes separated by an air gap, across which current from a high-tension ignition system discharges, to form a spark for igniting the fuel."
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blEdmond_Berger.htm
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-5 08:44 PM
The Research of Henry Baker
What we know about early black inventors comes mostly from the work of Henry Baker. He was an assistant patent examiner at the U.S.
Patent Office who was dedicated to uncovering and publicizing the contributions of Black inventors.
Around 1900, the Patent Office conducted a survey to gather information about black inventors and their inventions. Letters were sent to patent attorneys, company presidents, newspaper editors, and prominent African Americans. Henry Baker recorded the replies and followed-up on leads. Baker¡¯s research also provided the information used to select Black inventions exhibited at the Cotton Centennial in New Orleans, the World¡¯s Fair in Chicago, and the Southern Exposition in Atlanta. By the time of his death, Henry Baker had compiled four massive volumes.
http://inventors.about.com/od/blackinventors/a/Henry_Blair.htm
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-5 08:45 PM
Bessie Blount
Bessie Blount, was a physical therapist who worked with soldiers injured in W.W.II. Bessie Blount's war service inspired her to patent a device, in 1951, that allowed amputees to feed themselves.
The electrical device allowed a tube to deliver one mouthful of food at a time to a patient in a wheelchair or in a bed whenever he or she bit down on the tube. She later invented a portable receptacle support that was a simpler and smaller version of the same, designed to be worn around a patient's neck.
Bessie Blount was born in Hickory, Virginia in 1914. She moved from Virginia to New Jersey where she studied to be a physical therapist at the Panzar College of Physical Education and at Union Junior College and then furthered her training as a physical therapist in Chicago.
In 1951, Bessie Blount started teaching Physical Therapy at the Bronx Hospital in New York. She was unable to successfully market her valuable inventions and found no support from United States Veteran's Administration, so she gave the patent rights to the French government in 1952. The French government put the device to good use helping to make life better for many war vets.
"a black woman can invent something for the benefit of humankind" - Bessie Blount
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blblount.htm
[ Last edited by changabula at 2007-6-5 08:46 PM ]
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-7 08:52 PM
Phil Brooks
Phil Brooks African American inventor Phil Brooks, received a U.S. patent for a "Disposable Syringe" #3,802,434 on April 9, 1974. Below you can view the patent issued to Phil Brooks for his "Disposable Syringe".
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-7 09:00 PM
Marie Brown
The first video home security system was patented (patent #3,482,037) on December 2, 1969 to Marie Brown. The system used television surveillance.
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Author: shelleybelly Time: 2007-6-7 09:02 PM
QUOTE:
Originally posted by changabula at 2007-6-7 21:00
Marie Brown
The first video home security system was patented (patent #3,482,037) on December 2, 1969 to Marie Brown. The system used television surveillance.
GREAT WORK,CHAGABULA...
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-7 09:03 PM
John Albert Burr
(patented the rotary-blade lawn mower.)
On May 9, 1899, John Albert Burr patented an improved rotary blade lawn mower. Burr designed a lawn mower with traction wheels and a rotary blade that was designed to not easily get plugged up from lawn clippings. John Albert Burr also improved the design of lawn mowers by making it possible to mow closer to building and wall edges. You can view U.S. patent 624,749 issued to John Albert Burr below.
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-7 09:04 PM
QUOTE:
Originally posted by
shelleybelly at 2007-6-7 21:02
GREAT WORK,CHAGABULA...
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-7 09:08 PM
Benjamin Carson
Benjamin Carson has written over ninety neurosurgical publications. He has been awarded 24 honorary degrees and numerous national citations of merit. Carson has written three best selling books, Gifted Hands, Think Big. and The Big Picture. Currently, Benjamin Carson serves as the Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. In 1987, he gained world-wide recognition as the principal surgeon in the twenty-two hour separation of the Binder Siamese twins from Germany.
Benjamin Carson was born into poverty and as a young child was doing poorly in school. His father abandoned the family when Benjamin Carson was eight, however, his mother encouraged him to learn, and he was transformed from a fifth-grade "dummy" into a top scholar.
Dr. Benjamin Carson obtained a scholarship to Yale University, then graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School.
At 33, Benjamin Carson became the youngest ever chief of pediatric neurosurgery in the U.S., and developed techniques that have saved the lives of hundreds of children.
This pioneering surgeon has received many honors and is an extraordinary role model, who has, in his own words, "overcome rage, racism and poverty" to reach the greatest heights of his profession.
http://inventors.about.com/od/cstartinventors/a/Benjamin_Carson.htm
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-7 09:11 PM
Emmett W. Chappelle
(Biochemist, photobiologist, astrochemist and inventor.)
Emmett ChappelleChappelle is the recipient of 14 U.S. patents and was recently recognized as one of the 100 most distinguished African American scientists and engineers of the 20th Century.
He started with NASA in 1966 in support of NASA's manned space flight initiatives. He pioneered the development of the ingredients ubiquitous in all cellular material. Later, he developed techniques that are still widely used for the detection of bacteria in urine, blood, spinal fluids, drinking water and foods.
In 1977, Chappelle turned his research efforts toward the remote sensing of vegetation health through laser-induced fluorescence (LIF). Working with scientists at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, he advanced the development of LIF as a sensitive means of detecting plant stress.
Chappelle received a bachelor's of science degree in biochemistry from University of California at Berkley. He earned his master's of science degree, also in biochemistry, from University of Washington in Seattle and performed post-graduate work at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif.
Chappelle is a member of the American Chemical Society, the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, the American Society of Photobiology, the American Society of Microbiology, and the American Society of Black Chemists. Throughout his career, he has continued to mentor talented minority high school and college students in his laboratories.
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blchappelle.htm
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-7 09:12 PM
John B. Christian
John Christian was working as an Air Force, Materials Research, Engineer, when he invented and patented new lubricants, used in high flying aircraft and NASA space missions. The lubricants worked well under a wider temperature range than previous products, from minus 50 to 600 degrees. They were used in the helicoptor fuel lines, astronaut's back-pack life support systems, and in the four-wheel drive of the "moon-buggy".
Patents
* 6/30/1970 #3,518,189 - Grease composition for use at high temperatures and high speeds.
* 10/27/1970 #3,536,624 - Grease compositions of fluorocarbon polyethers thickened with polyfluorophenylene polymers.
* 5/12/1981 #4,267,348 - Fluorine-containing benzimidazoles
* 6/12/1984 #4,454,349 - Perfluoroalkylether substituted phenyl phosphines
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blchristian.htm
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-7 09:18 PM
Ronald Demon
(The Smart Shoe Ronald Demon)
Smart ShoeRonald Demon was issued US patent #5,813,142 for a "shoe sole with an adjustable support pattern." An athletic show marketed under the name of Smart Shoe.
Patent Abstract
A shoe having a adjustable cushion sole with fluid bladders disposed therein. Each fluid bladders has an associated pressure sensing device which measures the pressure exerted by the user's foot on the fluid bladder. As the pressure increases over a threshold, a control system partially opens a fluid valve to allow fluid to escape from the fluid bladder. The release of fluid from the fluid bladders reduces the impact of the user's foot with the traveling surface.
Ronald Demon
Ronald Demon was the inventor of the "Smart Shoe" an athletic shoe whose cushion support automatically adjusts to suit the shape of the wearer's feet and the manner in which the shoe is being used - Invention Dimension.
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bl_ronald_demon.htm
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-7 09:23 PM
Clatonia Joaquin Dorticus
(invented an improved photographic print wash machine and method.)
Cuban born, Clatonia Joaquin Dorticus of Newton, New Jersey invented an improved photographic print and negative wash machine (see patent drawing to right). During the process of developing a photographic print or negative, the product is soaked in several chemical baths. The print wash neutralizes the chemicals in each bath process, so that the time the chemicals effect a print can be exactly controlled. Clatonia Joaquin Dorticus believed his method would eliminate over washing that could soften the photograph too much.
Clatonia Joaquin Dorticus - Photo EmbosserClatonia Joaquin Dorticus also invented an improved machine for embossing photographs (see patent drawing left). His machine was designed to both/either mount or emboss a photographic print. Embossing is a method or raising parts of a photograph for a relief or 3D look.
Clatonia Joaquin Dorticus's other inventions included an applicator for applying color liquid dyes to shoes and heels, and a hose leek stop.
Clatonia Joaquin Dorticus was married to Mary Fredenburgh and they had two children together. Dorticus was born in Cuba to a father from Spain and a mother born in Cuba.
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bl_Clatonia_Joaquin_Dorticus.htm
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Author: northwest Time: 2007-6-12 09:40 PM
Good work, Chang 
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-13 03:20 AM
QUOTE:
Originally posted by
northwest at 2007-6-12 21:40
Good work, Chang
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-26 04:24 AM
John Thomas White
(Lemon Squeezer)
African American inventor John Thomas White of New York, New York received a patent for an improved lemon squeezer on December 8, 1896 (filed on March 21, 1896). Below you can view the patent issued to John Thomas White.
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bllemonsqueezer.htm
.
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-26 04:28 AM
Donald Cotton
(Invented propellants for nuclear reactors)
1939
Physical and Nuclear Chemistry
Donald Cotton, the technical lead for nuclear chemistry research and development at the Department of Energy, plans, manages and evaluates research and development on reactor materials and chemistry carried out in DOE national laboratories. He identifies the breeder reactor needs of less-developed nations, an assignment which has taken him to several European states.
Dr. Cotton first worked as a physical chemist at the Naval Propellant Plant at Indian Head, Maryland. From there he moved to the Marine Engineering Laboratory in Annapolis where he worked on the combustion of hydrocarbon fuels and invented a microwave absorption technique for measuring solid propellant burning rates. Later he researched liquid state chemistry and liquid gas propellants.
His career extended beyond the laboratory. For 2 years Cotton was science editor for Libratterian Books, presenting scientific and technical subjects to lay readers.
Cotton's degrees in physical chemistry include an M.S. from Yale University and a Ph.D. from Howard. He has lectured at Universities in Africa and South America, has patents to his credit, and has written many scientific papers.
http://inventors.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.onmy.com/haynie/new%5Fpage%5F15.htm
Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-26 04:30 AM
Ernest Coleman
1942 ~ 1990
Physics Research
Ernest Coleman has directed high energy physics research at three Federal agencies; the Atomic Energy Commission, the Energy Research and Development Administration, and the Department of Energy.
Coleman, a Phi Beta Kappa student at the University of Michigan, received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees there. After graduation he was awarded a year's research fellowship in high energy physics by the German Government and studied in Hamburg. Upon his return to the United States, Coleman taught at the University of Minnesota, first as Assistant Professor of Physics and then as Associate Professor.
During a year as visiting Professor at Stanford University he became director of the summer science program for gifted disadvantaged college students. He has continued to head this program and has brought highly motivated and able students into the field of physics.
For his contributions to physics education, particularly for disadvantage students, and for his contributions to physics research and its applications in education, Coleman received the Distinguished Service Award of the American Association of Physics Teachers.
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-26 04:33 AM
James Harris
1932
Nuclear Chemist
Nuclear chemist James Harris was a member of the scientific team at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory that discovered two new elements just a few years ago. Harris joined the laboratory, which is operated for the Department of Energy by the University of California, in 1960, after years of research at Tracerlab, Inc. At Berkeley he sought to complete the periodic table of chemical elements.
In the course of several years the laboratory produced a number of new elements by bombarding special targets in an accelerator. The research team purified and prepared the target material and, after hundreds of hours of bombarding the target with carbon, detected element 104 for a few seconds in 1969. Element 105 was produced in 1970 when the same target was bombarded with nitrogen. Element 104 was named Rutherfordium, and 105, Hahnium, in honor of two atomic pioneers.
Unlike most of his colleagues, Harris did not have a Ph.D. degree. The Texas native had a B.S. from Houston-Tillotson College in Austin and had taken graduate courses in chemistry and physics. However, his alma mater conferred an honorary doctorate upon him in 1973, largely because of his work as codiscoverer of elements 104 and 105.
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-26 04:36 AM
Annie Easley
1932
Computer Scientist
Annie Easley is among the growing group of women who are making major contributions to energy research and management. Working at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Lewis Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, Easley develops and implements computer codes used in solar, wind, and other energy projects. Her energy assignments have included studies to determine the life of storage batteries (such as those used in electric vehicles) and to identify energy conversion systems that offer the greatest improvement over commercially available technology.
A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Easley has worked for NASA and its predecessor agency since 1955. She continued her education while working and, in 1977, obtained a degree in mathematics from Cleveland State University. Over the years she attended many courses in her specialization offered by NASA.
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Author: changabula Time: 2007-6-26 04:40 AM
Cordell Reed
1938
Nuclear Electric Power
Cordell Reed, Assistant Vice President of the Commonwealth Edison Company of Chicago, is in charge of nuclear licensing and environmental activities.
Reed has been with the company since 1960, starting as an engineer assigned to the design, construction and operation of coal-fired generating stations. In 1967, he transferred to the nuclear division, with the task of developing more efficient and productive power plants. In 1975, Reed was appointed manager of the nuclear engineering department, where he headed a group of 75 engineers who were responsible for the engineering design of all nuclear projects. In this period, Commonwealth became the Nation's leading nuclear utility; currently the company has seven nuclear power plants in operation capable of producing more than 5,400,000 kilowatts of electricity, and is constructing additional units with a capacity of 6,600,000 Kilowatts.
A native of Chicago, Reed holds a masters degree in engineering from the University of Illinois.
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Author: gaiacomm Time: 2007-7-5 02:15 AM
http://wireless.seekingalpha.com:80/article/40025
[ Last edited by gaiacomm at 2007-7-5 02:20 AM ]
Author: 1337assassin Time: 2007-7-5 11:59 AM
QUOTE:
Originally posted by changabula at 2007-6-7 21:00
Marie Brown
The first video home security system was patented (patent #3,482,037) on December 2, 1969 to Marie Brown. The system used television surveillance.
hahaha, that was invented to spy on girls in the bathroom and bedroom and to notify the pimp if they tried to escape
neccessity is the Mother of Invention
thus the black patented invention was developed
un beknownst to anyone it could also be used for home security until researches discovered the patent in an archive in early 2006
Author: 1337assassin Time: 2007-7-5 12:01 PM
QUOTE:
Originally posted by changabula at 2007-6-7 21:03
John Albert Burr
(patented the rotary-blade lawn mower.)
On May 9, 1899, John Albert Burr patented an improved rotary blade lawn mower. Burr designed a lawn mower w ...
not really an invention.. just slight modification
he thought it would be bettr for sending the ghosts back down to hell as he mowed the graveyard grass
Author: 1337assassin Time: 2007-7-5 12:08 PM
QUOTE:
Originally posted by changabula at 2007-6-26 04:40
Cordell Reed
1938
Nuclear Electric Power
Cordell Reed, Assistant Vice President of the Commonwealth Edison Company of Chicago, is in charge of nuclear licensing and e ...
what is your point?
all black people arent f*cking idiots?
it doesn help your argument
because you found 3 people that may or may not have been
how does that help you?
or the rst of the stupid black people?
does it rub off on you?
does collin powel or Condoleeza rice prove anything whatsoever about the idiot black people in America?
no.
nothing
it doesnt change a thing
the only smart black people NEVER say anything about being black, and act as if they are white.. and dont feel being black associates them with all black people..
they are the few who break free of your ignorant idiot fool Black Pride BullSh*t
Author: changabula Time: 2007-7-6 07:42 AM
You are a genetic defect that deserves only 1 post from me.
QUOTE:
Originally posted by 1337assassin at 2007-7-5 12:08
what is your point?
My point is that black people are an incredible people compared to genetic malfunctions like you.
There, that is the one and only post that I am willing to address to you.
Author: 1337assassin Time: 2007-7-6 09:04 AM
QUOTE:
Originally posted by changabula at 2007-7-6 07:42
You are a genetic defect that deserves only 1 post from me.
My point is that black people are an incredible people compared to genetic malfunctions like you.
There, that is the one ...
incredible to compared to what?
Im evolution, a better and brighter tomorrow, a sum of all hopes and dreams, the next stage of humanity
but even so, its not genetics that make the human, any professional athlete will tell you the same thing..
its the personality, the mind
the mind controls the body, the mind controls everything in the world
thats where you fall short
you see, you were bred for manual labor on cotton plantations.. not for intelligence... thats what you're fighting
a thing black people have had a difficult time in overcoming
in africa they arent intelligent... any of them... not bright at all before western influence
only the most stupid ones were rounded up and put on the slaves ships
then the "smart" ones of the most stupid were killed after they got off the ship in America
and so they are all super super absolute rock bottom stupid
and then they live in poverty and drugs and gangs and relish in stupidity
they feel they wont or cant do good in school
a genetic brain deficiency which all black people are prone to
you are the bottom of the genetic pile
any gene that so much as looks at a black gene becomes equally poilluted
God made man from teh dust of the earth, then he breathed life into him and then he made woman, then he rested on th 7th day
on the 8th day he went to the WC and took a sh*t, then he farted and the fart breathed life into the sh*t
much to everyones surprise it started walking around
cursing and cussing everything in sight and trying to put its hands on the White mans woman
has been doing the same thing ever since
[ Last edited by 1337assassin at 2007-7-6 09:40 AM ]
Author: changabula Time: 2007-7-7 08:06 PM
The Tragedy of White Injustice
(1)
Lying and stealing is the whiteman's game;
For rights of God nor man he has no shame
(A practice of his throughout the whole world)
At all, great thunderbolts he has hurled;
He has stolen everywhere-land and sea;
A buccaneer and pirate he must be,
Killing all, as he roams from place to place,
Leaving disease, mongrels-moral disgrace-
(2)
The world's history of him is replete,
From his javelin-bolt to new-built fleet:
Hosts he has robbed and crushed below;
Of friend and neighbor he has made a foe.
From our men and women he made the slave,
Then boastingly he calls himself a brave;
Cowardly, he steals on his trusting prey,
Killing in the dark, then shouts he hoo ray!
(3)
Not to go back to time pre-historic,
Only when men in Nature used to frolic,
And you will find his big, long murder-list,
Showing the plunderings of his mailed fist;
Africa, Asia and America
Tell the tale in a mournful replica
How tribesmen, Indians and Zulus fell
Fleeing the murdering bandit pell mell.
(4)
American Indian tribes were free,
Sporting, dancing, and happy as could be;
Asia's hordes lived then a life their own,
To civilization they would have grown;
Africa's millions laughed with the sun,
In the cycle of man a course to run;
In stepped the white man, bloody and grim,
The light of these people's freedom to dim.
(5)
Coolies of Asiatics they quickly made,
In Africa's blacks they built a world trade,
The Red Indians they killed with the gun,
All else of men and beasts they put to run;
Blood of murderer Cain is on their head,
Of man and beast they mean to kill dead;
A world of their own is their greatest aim,
For which Yellow and Black are well to blame.
(6)
Out of cold old Europe these white men came,
From caves, dens, and holes, without any fame,
Eating their dead's flesh and sucking their blood,
Relics of the Mediterranean flood;
Literature, science and art they stole,
After Africa had measured each pole,
Asia taught them what great learning was,
Now they frown upon what the Coolie does.
(7)
They have stolen, murdered, on their way here,
Leaving desolation and waste everywhere;
Now they boastingly tell what they have done,
Seeing not the bloody crown they have won;
Millions of Blacks died in America,
Coolies, peons, serfs, too, in Asia;
Upon these dead bones Empires they builded,
Parceling out crowns and coronets gilded.
Author: changabula Time: 2007-7-7 08:07 PM
(8)
Trifling with God's Holy Name and Law,
Mixing Christ's religion that had no flaw,
They have dared to tell us what is right,
In language of death-bullets, gas and might
Only with their brute force they hold us down,
Men of color, Yellow, Red, Black and Brown:
Not a fair chance give they our men to rise,
Christian liars we see in their eyes.
(9)
With the Bible they go to foreign lands,
Taking Christ and stealth in different hands;
Making of God a mockery on earth,
When of the Holy One there is no dearth:
They say to us: "You, sirs, are the heathen,
"We your brethren-Christian fellowman,
"We come to tell the story of our God";
When we believe, they give to us the rod.
(I0)
After our confidence they have thus won,
From our dear land and treasure we must run;
Story of the Bible no more they tell,
For our souls redeemed we could go to hell.
Oil, coal and rubber, silver and gold,
They have found in wealth of our lands untold;
Thus, they claim the name of our country, all,
Of us they make then their real foot-ball.
(11)
If in the land we happen to tarry,
Most of us then become sad and sorry,
For a white man's country they say it is,
And with shot, gas and shell, they prove it his:
What can we do who love the Gracious Lord,
But fight, pray, watch and wait His Holy word:
His second coming we know to be true,
Then, He will greet the white man with his due-
(12)
This Christ they killed on Calvary's Cross.
After this Person around they did toss:
White men the Savior did crucify,
For eyes not blue, but blood of Negro tie;
Now they worship Him in their churches great,
And of the Holy Ghost they daily prate;
"One God" they say, enough for all mankind,
When in slavery the Blacks they entwined.
(13)
Their churches lines of demarcation draw;
In the name of Christ there is no such law,
Yet Black and White they have separated,
A Jim Crow God the preachers operated,
Then to Heaven they think they will all go,
When their consciences ought to tell them NO.
God is no respecter of persons great,
So each man must abide his final fate.
(14)
We'd like to see the white man converted,
And to right and justice be devoted;
Continuing in land-values to lie and steal,
Will bring destruction down upon his heel.
All that the other races want, I see,
Is the right to liberty and be free;
This the selfish white man doesn't want to give;
He alone, he thinks, has the right to live.
(15)
There shall be a bloody mix-up everywhere;
Of the white man's plunder we are aware:
Men of color the great cause understand,
Unite they must, to protect their own land.
No fool's stand on argument must we make;
Between Heaven and earth an oath we take:
"Our lands to deliver from foreign foes,
Caring not of trials and maudlin woes."
(16)
The privilege of men to protect home
Was established before the days of Rome.
Many gallant races fought and died,
Alien hordes in triumph thus defied.
Carthage did not crush Ancient Greece
For their believing in the Golden Fleece.
No other race shall kill the sturdy Blacks
If on their tribal gods we turn our backs.
(17)
From Marathon, Tours, Blenheim and the Marne
A braver courage in man has been born;
Africans died at Thermopylae's Pass,
Standing firm for Persia-men of Brass.
The Black Archers of Ethiopia stood
At Marathon, proving their stern manhood;
Senegalese held their own at Verdun,
Even though their praises are not now sung.
Author: changabula Time: 2007-7-7 08:07 PM
(18)
In the Americas' modern warfare
The Blacks have ever borne their share;
With Cortez, Washington, too, and the rest,
We did for the others our truthful best;
At St. Domingo we struck a clear blow
To show which way the wind may one day go.
Toussaint L'Ouverture was our leader then,
At the time when we were only half-men.
(19)
Italians, Menelik put to chase,
Beating a retreat in uneven haste;
So down the line of history we come,
Black, courtly, courageous and handsome.
No fear have we today of any great men
From Napoleon back to Genghis Khan;
All we ask of men is "Give a square deal,"
Returning to others same right we feel.
(20)
With a past brilliant, noble and grand,
Black men march to the future hand in hand;
We have suffered long from the white man's greed,
Perforce he must change his unholy creed.
Stealing, bullying and lying to all
Will drag him to ignominious fall;
For men are wise-yes, no longer are fools,
To have grafters make of them still cheap tools.
(21)
Each race should be proud and stick to its own,
And the best of what they are should be shown;
This is no shallow song of hate to sing,
But over Blacks there should be no white king.
Every man on his own foothold should stand,
Claiming a nation and a Fatherland!
White, Yellow and Black should make their own laws,
And force no one-sided justice with flaws.
(22)
Man will bear so much of imposition,
Till he starts a righteous inquisition.
History teaches this as a true fact,
Upon this premise all men do act.
Sooner or later each people take their stand
To fight against the strong, oppressive hand;
This is God's plan, raising man to power,
As over sin and greed He makes him tower.
(23)
This trite lesson the white man has Dot learnt,
Waiting until he gets his fingers burnt.
Millenniums ago, when white men slept,
The great torch of light Asia kept.
Africa at various periods shone
Above them all as the bright noonday sun;
Coming from the darkened cave and hut,
The white man opened the gate that was shut.
(24)
Gradually light bore down upon him,
This ancient savage who was once dim;
When he commenced to see and move around,
He found the book of knowledge on the ground;
Centuries of wonder and achievements
Were cast before him in God's compliments;
But, like the rest, he has now fallen flat,
And must in the Lord's cycle yield for that.
(25)
We shall always be our brother's keeper,
Is the injunction of the Redeemer;
Love and tolerance we must ever show,
If in Grace Divine we would truly grow;
This is the way clear to God's great kingdom-
Not by the death-traps of Argonne or Somme,
When the terrible white man learns this much,
He will save even the African Dutch.
(26)
South Africa has a grave problem now
In reducing the Negro to the plow;
White men are to live in their lazy case
While the patience of the goodly natives tease;
They make new laws to have Africa white
Precipitating righteous and ready fight:
Around the world they speak of being so just,
Yet, in fact, no lone white man can you trust.
(27)
In Australia the same they have done,
And so, wherever man's confidence won:
This they call the religion of the Christ,
And upon their willing slave try to foist.
Only a part of the world can you fool,
And easily reduce to your foot-stool;
The other one-half is always awake,
And from it you cannot liberty take.
(28)
"And now valiant Black men of the west
Must ably rise to lead and save the rest":
This is the ringing call Africa sounds,
As throughout the Godly world it resounds;
Clansmen! black, educated, virile and true!
Let us prove too that we are loyal blue.
We must win in the blessed fight of love,
Trusting on the Maker of men above.
(29)
The Christian world is yet to be saved!
Man, since the risen Christ has not behaved!
Wanton, reckless, wicked, he still remains,
Causing grief, sorrow, tears and human pains!
Can we show the Godly light to anyone
Seeking for earnest truth while marching on?
If so, friend, let us tell you now and here,
For love, freedom, justice let's all prepare!
(30)
God in His Glorious Might is coming,
Wonderful signs He is ever showing,
Unrest, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and storms
Are but revelations of Heavenly Forms:
The proud white scientist thinks he is wise
But the Black man's God comes in true disguise,
God is sure in the rumbling earthquake,
When He is ready, the whole world will shake.
(31)
The Armageddon is gathering now;
The sign is on every oppressed man's brow:
The whites who think they are ever so smart
Do not know other men can play their part:
When the opportune time is almost here
Black, Yellow and Brown will be everywhere,
In union of cause they'll stand together
And storms of the bully boldly weather.
(32)
Their gases and shots, and their rays of death,
Shall only be child's play-a dream of Seth,
For out of the clear, sleeping minds of ages,
Wonders shall be written on history's pages:
Our buried arts and sciences then shall rise,
To show how for centuries we were wise:
Silent tongues we kept, by God's true command,
Until of us, action, He did demand.
(33)
Under the canopy of Nature's law
We shall unitedly and bravely draw.
On the plains of God's green Amphitheatre,
Swords, in rhythm with Divine Meter:
Jehovah's Day will have surely come,
With Angelic strains and Seraphic hum:
The Guides of Heaven will direct the way,
Keeping us from wandering far astray.
Author: changabula Time: 2007-7-7 08:08 PM
(34)
Like around the high walls of Jericho,
March we, as Rio speeds through Mexico:
Trumpets loud will the Guiding Angels blow.
As scatter the enemy to-and-fro:
Heaven will have given us a battle cry:
"Oh Brave Soldiers you shall never die":
Rally to the command of Heaven's King,
As Cherubim to Him your tidings bring.
(35)
See the deadly clash of arms! Watch! They fall!
There is stillness!-It is the funeral pall!
A sad requiem now is to be sung!
Not by Angels. but in their human tongue!
The cruel masters of yesterday are done!
From the fields of battle they have run!
A brand new world of justice is to be!
"You shall be a true brother unto me!"
(36)
This is a forecast of God's wrath:
White man, will you turn from the evil path?
There is still hope for you, among the good:
If you will seek the bigger-brotherhood:
Stop your tricks, frauds, lying and stealing,
And settle down to fair and square dealing;
If not, prepare yourself for gloomy hell,
As God announces the sorrowing knell.
(37)
Your lies, to us called diplomacy,
Are known by us, a brazen phantasy;
You imprison men for crimes not so great,
While on your silly wisdom you do prate.
The masses are soberly watching you;
They know that you are false and so untrue.
The laborers of your race you oppress,
As well as black and other men you distress.
(38)
If you were wise you'd read between the lines
Of feudal isms and others of old times.
Men have fought against ugly royal gods,
Burying them 'neath European sods.
Such to heartless masters the people do,
From Syracuse to bloody Waterloo;
Wonderful lessons for any sober man,
Who worships not idols or the god Pan.
(39)
In the vicious order of things today,
The poor, suffering black man has no say;
The plot is set for one 'gainst the other,
With organization they mustn't bother.
"If one should show his head as a leader,
Whom we cannot use, the rest to pilfer,
We shall discredit him before his own,
And make of him a notorious clown."
(40)
"In Africa we have plans to match him,
While the native Chiefs of their lands we trim;
The Blacks schooled in England are too smart,
On the I BETTER THAN YOU scheme we'll start,
And have them thinking away from the rest;
This philosophy for them is best-
Easier then we can rob the good lands
And make ourselves rich without soiled hands."
(41)
"We will so keep from them the' NEGRO WORLD'
That no news they'll have of a flag unfurled;
Should they smuggle copies in, and we fail,
We will send the sly agents all to jail."
This is the white man's plan across the sea.
Isn't this wily and vicious as can be?
In other lands they have things arranged
Differently, yet they have never changed.
(42)
In America they have Colored to tell
What they know of the rest, whose rights they sell;
The Blacks they do try to keep always down,
But in time they will reap what they have sown.
No Negro's good life is safe in the STATES
If he tries to be honest with his mates;
In politics he must sell at the polls,
To suit the white man in his many roles.
(43)
The West Indian whites are tricky, too;
They have schemes curved like the horse's shoe:
There is only one opening for the black-
Three other sides are close up to his back;
Hence he never gets a chance to look in
Whilst staring at the world of mortal sin.
Yes, this is the game they play everywhere,
Leaving the Negro to gloom and despair.
(44)
And now, white man, can we reason with you,
For each race in the world to give it due?
Africa for Africans is most right;
Asia for Asiatics is light;
To Europe for the Europeans,
America for the Americans:
This is the doctrine of the goodly Klan,
Now fighting for the alien ban.
(45)
Blacks do not hate you because you are white;
We believe in giving to all men right;
Some we do keep for ourselves to protect,
Knowing it as a virtue to select.
We are willing to be friends of mankind,
Pulling all together with none behind,
Growing in sane goodness and fellowship,
Choosing but the Almighty to worship.
(46)
Let Justice prevail, at home and abroad;
Cease over the weak your burdens to lord;
You're but mortal man, like the rest of us-
Of this happy truth we need make no fuss.
All Nature's kindly gifts are justly ours-
Suns, oceans, trees, to pretty flowers-
So we need not doubt the marvelous fact
That God has given to each man his tract.
(47)
The common thief now steals a crust of bread,
The law comes down upon his hungry head;
The haughty land robber steals continents,
With men, oil, gold, rubber and all contents.
The first you say is a hopeless convic',
While the latter escapes the law by trick;
That grave, one-sided justice will not do-
The poor call for consideration, too.
Author: changabula Time: 2007-7-7 08:08 PM
(48)
The rich white man starts the unholy war,
Then from the line of action he keeps far;
He pushes to the front sons of the poor,
There to do battle, die, suffer galore,
As the guns rage, liberty loans they raise,
And in glorious tones sing freedom's praise.
This is the method to gain them more wealth,
Then, after vict'ry they practice great stealth.
(49)
Those who make wars should first go to the front,
And of gas, shot and shell bear there the brunt:
In first lines of action they are all due,
If to their country and people they are true:
When this is demanded in right of all,
There will be no more deadly cannon ball:
The downtrodden poor whites and blacks should join
And prevent rich whites our rights to purloin.
(50)
Weeping mothers, tricked in patriotism,
Send their sons to fight for liberalism:
Into most far off lands they go with pride,
Thinking right and God be on their side:
When they get into the bloody trenches,
They find of lies they had awful drenches:
The people they were all supposed to kill,
Like themselves, had gotten of lies their fill.
(51)
In the private club and drawing room,
White schemes are hatched for the nation's doom:
Speculators, grafters, bankers-all,
With politicians join to hasten the fall,
By stealing rights from other citizens,
As if they weren't fit or true denizens:
How awful is this daring story
That we tell to men young and hoary.
(52)
Crooked lawyers, friends and politicians,
Corrupt the morals of the good nations:
Between them and others, fly plots they make,
Innocent citizens' money to take;
From banks they find out your real account,
Then have you indicted on legal count:
Large fees they charge, to have you surely broke,
Then, to prison you go-what a sad joke!
(53)
The white man controls cable and wireless,
Connections by ships with force and duress:
He keeps black races of the world apart,
So to his schemes they may not be smart:
"There shall be no Black Star Line Ships," he says,
"For that will interfere with our crooked ways:
"I'll disrupt their business and all their plans,
"So they might not connect with foreign lands."
(54)
Black women are raped by the lordly white,
In colonies, the shame ne'er reaching light:
In other countries abuses are given,
Shocking to morality and God's Heaven.
Hybrids and mongrels are the open result,
Which the whites give us as shameful insult:
How can they justify this? None can tell;
Yet, crimes of the blacks are rung with a bell.
(55)
White men newspapers subsidize and own,
For to keep them on their racial throne:
Editors are slaves to fool the public,
Reporters tell the lie and pull the trick;
The papers support only what they want,
Yet truth, fair play, and justice, daily flaunt:
They make criminals out of honest men,
And force judges to send them to the Pen.
(56,)
Capitalists buy up all blank space
To advertise and hold the leading place
For to influence public opinion
And o'er Chief-editors show dominion.
The average man is not wise to the scheme,
He, the reformer, must now redeem;
This isn't a smooth or very easy job,
For, you, of your honor and name, they'll rob.
(57)
The bankers employ men to shoot and kill,
When we interfere with their august will;
They take the savings of deaf, dumb and poor,
Gamble with it here and on foreign shore:
In oil, gold, rum, rubber they speculate,
Then bring their foreign troubles upon the State:
Friends in Government they control at will;
War they make, for others, our sons to kill.
(58)
The many foundations of researches,
And the foreign missions and their churches,
Are organized to catch the mild converts
Who don't understand the way of perverts.
Our wealth when discovered by researchers,
In lands of the Native occupiers
Is surveyed and marked to the river's rim
Till they dislodge a Premprey or Abd-El-Krim.
(59)
It is not freedom from prison we seek;
It is freedom from the big thieves we meet:
All life is now a soulless prison cell,
A wild suspense between heaven and hell:
Selfish, wicked whites have made it so;
To the Author and Finisher we'll go,
Carrying our sad cares and many wrongs
To Him in prayers and holy songs.
(60)
This is the game that is played all around,
Which is sure one day to each race rebound:
The world is gone mad with the money craze,
Leaving the poor man in a gloomy haze:
There must be world reorganization,
To save the masses from exploitation-,
The cry is for greater democracy.
A salvation from man's hypocrisy.
Author: changabula Time: 2007-7-7 08:09 PM
(61)
Out in this heartless, bitter oasis
There's now very little of human bliss;
The cold capitalists and money sharks
Have made life unsafe, like ocean barks.
The once dear, lovely Garden of Eden
Has become the sphere of men uneven;
The good God created but an equal pair,
Now man has robbed others of their share.
(62)
Shall there be freedom of liberal thought?
No; the white man has all agencies bought-
Press, pulpit, law and every other thing-
Hence o'er public opinion he reigns king.
This is indisputable, glaring fact;
You may find it out with a little tact.
College tutors and presidents are paid,
So that in universities schemes are laid.
(63)
Cleopatra, Empress Josephine,
Were black mongrels like of the Philippine:
Mixtures from black and other races they,
Yet "true" the white man's history will not say
To those who seek the light of pure knowledge
In the inquiring world, school or college.
Napoleon fell for a Negro woman;
So did the Caesars, and the Great Roman.
(64)
Anthony lost his imperial crown
To escape Cleo's fascinating -frown.
This truth the New Negro knows very well,
And to his brothers in darkness he'll tell.
No one can imprison the brain of man-
That was never intended in God's plan;
You may persecute, starve, even debase-
That will not kill truth nor virtue efface.
(65)
The white man now enjoys his "Vanity Fair";
He thinks of self and not of others care-
Fratricidal course, that to hell doth lead-
This is poison upon which the gentry feed.
Blacks should study physics, chemistry, more,
While the gold God all such sinners adore;
This is no idle prattle talk to you;
It has made the banners red, white and blue.
(66)
Out of the clear of God's Eternity
Shall rise a kingdom of Black Fraternity;
There shall be conquests o'er militant forces;
For as man proposes, God disposes.
Signs of retribution are on every hand:
Be ready, black men, like Gideon's band.
They may scoff and mock at you today,
But get you ready for the awful fray.
(67)
In the fair movement of God's Abounding Grace
There is a promised hope for the Negro race;
In the sublimest truth of prophecy,
God is to raise. them to earthly majesty,
Princes shall come out of Egypt so grand,
The noble black man's home and Motherland,
The Psalmist spoke in holy language clear,
As Almighty God's triune will declare.
(68)
In their conceit they see not their ruin;
You soldiers of trust, be up and doing!
Remember Belshazzar's last joyous feast,
And Daniel's vision of the Great Beast!
"Weighed in the balances and found wanting"
Is the Tekel to which they are pointing.
This interpretation of the Prophet
Black men shall never in their dreams forget.
(69)
The resplendent rays of the morning sun
Shall kiss the Negro's life again begun;
The music of God's rhythmic natural law
Shall stir Afric's soul without Divine flaw.
The perfume from Nature's rosy hilltops
Shall fall on us spiritual dewdrops.
Celestial beings shall know us well,
For, by goodness, in death, with them we'll dwell.
(70)
AND HOW SAD A FINIS!
With battleship, artillery and gun
White men have put all God's creatures to run;
Heaven and earth they have often defied.,
Taking no heed of the rebels that died.
God can't be mocked in this daring way,
So the evil ones shall sure have their day.
"You may rob, you may kill, for great fame,"
So says the white man, FOR THIS IS HIS GAME.
Author: tekvicious Time: 2007-7-7 11:18 PM
1337aSSaSSin
Where you at loser?? You have no idea of what you speak. Let's have a little "Genetic Triathalon".
Round 1 - IQ test
Round 2 - Fight
Round 3 - We both fill your sister with baby batter and see what color kid comes out. Big departure for me, regular saturday night for you.
So Mr ASS^2in , where is your trailerpark??
Author: gotohell Time: 2008-2-10 11:20 AM
Time to bump this thread up!
Author: gotohell Time: 2008-2-10 11:22 AM
There is another thread with the same title:
http://bbs.chinadaily.com.cn/vie ... amp;highlight=black
Author: blueskies88 Time: 2008-2-10 06:51 PM Subject: gotohell/changabula's thread
Oh HOW TRULY INSINCERE!
Author: gotohell Time: 2008-2-10 08:34 PM
Ancient African cultures
The international phenomenon known as the Beaker culture began to affect western North Africa. Named for the distinctively shaped ceramics found in graves, the Beaker culture is associated with the emergence of a warrior mentality. North African rock art of this period depict animals but also places a new emphasis on the human figure, equipped with weapons and adornments. People from the Great Lakes Region settled along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea to become the proto-Canaanites who dominated the lowlands between the Jordan River, the Mediterranean and the Sinai Desert.
By the 1st millennium BC, iron-working had been introduced in Northern Africa and quickly began spreading across the Sahara into the northern parts of sub-Saharan Africa and by 500 BC, metalworking began to become commonplace in West Africa, possibly after being introduced by the Carthaginians. Iron-working was fully established by roughly 500 BC in areas of East and West Africa, though other regions didn't begin iron-working until the early centuries AD. Some copper objects from Egypt, North Africa, Nubia and Ethiopia have been excavated in West Africa dating from around 500 BC time period, suggesting that trade networks had been established by this time
Martin and O'Meara. "Africa, 3rd Ed." Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1995
O'Brien, Patrick K. (General Editor). Oxford Atlas of World History. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. pp.22-23
(From wiki)
Author: gotohell Time: 2008-2-10 08:37 PM
Neolithic rock engravings, or 'petroglyphs' and the megaliths in the Sahara desert of Libya attest to early hunter-gatherer culture in the dry grasslands of North Africa during the glacial age.
The region of the present Sahara was an early site for the practice of agriculture (in the second stage of the culture characterized by the so-called "wavy-line ceramics" ca. 4000 BCE.).
However, after the desertification of the Sahara, settlement in North Africa became concentrated in the valley of the Nile, where the pre-literate Nomes of Egypt laid a base for the culture of ancient Egypt.
Archeological findings show that primitive tribes lived along the Nile long before the dynastic history of the pharaohs began.
By 6000 B.C., organized agriculture had appeared.
Author: gotohell Time: 2008-2-10 08:38 PM
Africa's earliest evidence of written history was in Ancient Egypt, and the Egyptian calendar is still used as the standard for dating Bronze Age and Iron Age cultures throughout the region.
In about 3100 B.C. Egypt was united under the first known Narmer, who inaugurated the first of the 30 dynasties into which Egypt's ancient history is divided: the Old, Middle Kingdoms and the New Kingdom.
The pyramids at Giza (near Cairo), which were built in the Fourth dynasty, testify to the power of the pharaonic religion and state.
The Great Pyramid, the tomb of Pharaoh Khufu (also known as Cheops), is the only surviving monument of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Ancient Egypt reached the peak of its power, wealth, and territorial extent in the period called the New Empire (1567¨C1085 B.C.).
(From wiki)
Author: gotohell Time: 2008-2-10 08:45 PM
Just prior to Saharan desertification, the communities that developed south of Egypt, in what is now modern day Sudan, were full participants in the Neolithic revolution and lived a settled to semi-nomadic lifestyle with domesticated plants and animals.
http://www.anth.ucsb.edu/faculty ... /nubia_history.html
Megaliths found at Nabta Playa are examples of probably the world's first known archaeoastronomy devices, out dating Stonehenge by some 1000 years. This complexity, as observed at Nabta Playa, and expressed by different levels of authority within the society there, likely formed the basis for the structure of both the Neolithic society at Nabta and the Old Kingdom of Egypt.
http://www.comp-archaeology.org/WendorfSAA98.html
(From wiki)
Author: gotohell Time: 2008-2-10 08:52 PM
By 3000 BC agriculture arose independently in Ethiopia, where coffee, teff, finger millet, sorghum, barley, and enset.
Donkeys were also independently domesticated somewhere in the region of Ethiopia and Somalia, but most domesticated animals spread there from the Sahel and Nile regions.
Agricultural crops were also adopted from other regions around this time as pearl millet, cowpea, groundnut, cotton, watermelon and bottle gourds began to be grown agriculturally in both West Africa and the Sahel Region while finger millet, peas, lentil and flax took hold in Ethiopia.
Diamond, Jared (1999) Guns, germs and steel: The Fates of Human Societies New York Norton, New York 1999 ISBN 0-393-31755-2
(From wiki)
Author: pjtran Time: 2008-2-11 04:20 AM Subject: hiphop started in jamaica, mun...
QUOTE:
Originally posted by joey141 at 5/28/07 09:01 PM
Thank you changabula for pointing out the great contributions of black Americans. Just another reason why America is so great. You should have also mentioned hip-hop, which is extremely popular all ...
NOT in the streets of NYC rather than in kingston, kiddo
Author: pjtran Time: 2008-2-11 05:20 AM Subject: can't keep a good man down...
QUOTE:
Originally posted by shelleybelly at 6/3/07 10:05 AM
what you are preaching here?
what is your purpose?(down load those old stuff from somewhere)..
who would be so care to the things/person back to hundred years ago...
There are more and more ...
shelleybelly--his point is that america had let down the african americans for generations...just the like brits does in uk by encouraging the minorities there to stay on public assistance & don't create any problems (very similiar in the states as well...welcome to welfare). it's very scary for me not to aware what CHANGABULA has posted...and i feel like a dum-ass 
i WILL NOT fool around on the internet anymore after this & no more rock 'n roll 4 me...it screws up my brains!
Author: gotohell Time: 2008-2-11 04:38 PM
QUOTE:
Originally posted by pjtran at 2008-2-11 05:20
shelleybelly--his point is that america had let down the african americans for generations...just the like brits does in uk by encouraging the minorities there to stay on public assistance & ...
Well, did the whites not keep the black man and all other races down for centuries?
Or, did you learn something different?
Author: wooyimfong Time: 2008-3-26 12:46 PM
Really informative and impressive!
I've never read any of these posters of this thread before, and know nothing about you all.
But I have to say that some people are obviously making themselves look ugly enough by fanning racial hostility here.
Author: buddy35 Time: 2008-7-20 12:56 AM
Time to ressurect this thread so show how brilliant the black man is!
Author: buddy35 Time: 2008-7-20 01:20 AM
John Thompson
John Thompson invented lingo programming used in Macromedia Director and Shockwave. According John Thompson, "Lingo is a scripting language in the Macromedia Director authoring tool. The content created with Macromedia Director is delivered on the World Wide Web as shockwave movies."
John Thompson was the principal engineer for Macromedia Director, the inventor and developer of Lingo and XObjects, and a professor of new media at New York University - Tisch Interactive Telecommunications Program. Thompson studied art at the New York Student Art League and the Boston Museum School and earned a degree in Computer Science and Visual Studies from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the 1983.
From 1987 until 2001, Thompson was the chief scientist at Macromedia where he developed a number of products, including: The VideoWorks Accelerator, VideoWorks II, MediaMaker, Action, and Macromedia Director. John Thompson currently lives in Philadelphia with his wife and four children and is working on custom software for his own realtime video artwork.
Image Attachment:
john.jpg (2008-7-20 01:20 AM, 2.02 K) / Download count 67
http://bbs.chinadaily.com.cn/attachment.php?aid=83604
Author: budebuai Time: 2008-7-20 02:18 AM
FEI ZHOU
Where did African Americans come from?
PRINCE AMONG SLAVES
http://youtube.com/?v=k1B8nuw8i4k
________________________________
:kiss::kiss:
FeiZhou wo AI de Nin !!...WeiDa Hen PiaoLiang ...Hasta Siempre, wo come back !!
Author: seneca Time: 2008-7-20 12:22 PM
Just dropped by to see what gems of the human genius we all owe to Bantus (not Egyptians or Abessinians/Ethiopians but plain Bantus from the jungles south of the Sahara), and what do I see here? Page upon page of recriminations, insults, racial stereotyhping by a well-known ignoramus struggling with his inferiority complex vis-a-vis the White Man...
Author: buddy35 Time: 2008-7-21 05:38 AM
QUOTE:
Originally posted by seneca at 2008-7-20 12:22
Just dropped by to see what gems of the human genius we all owe to Bantus (not Egyptians or Abessinians/Ethiopians but plain Bantus from the jungles south of the Sahara), and what do I see here? Page upon page of recriminations, insults, racial stereotyhping by a well-known ignoramus struggling with his inferiority complex vis-a-vis the White Man...
Here we see the master racist and genetic defect, with a superiority complex, who has just tried (unsuccessfully) to devalue the achievements of black people in another thread .
Man this seneKKKa must think that black people will buy his bullsh!t.
Author: mechanic Time: 2009-6-15 08:43 PM
Time to revive this thread as the Anglos on this forum are trying to claim black inventions as their own.
Author: petera Time: 2009-6-17 08:50 AM Subject: Giant
I missed this thread.Yet another great contribution from the giant of this forum.I had hoped
to print out the best threads Chang/GTH/Buddy has contributed but that that was a
gargantuan task.
Author: mechanic Time: 2009-6-17 05:55 PM
BLACK INVENTORS AND INVENTIONS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Only when lions have historians will hunters cease being heroes." ~ African Proverb
Product Inventor Date
======= ======== =====
air conditioning unit Frederick M. Jones July 12, 1949
almanac Benjamin Banneker Approx 1791
auto cut-off switch Granville T. Woods January 1, 1839
auto fishing devise G. Cook May 30, 1899
automatic gear shift Richard Spikes February 28, 1932
baby buggy W.H. Richardson June 18, 1899
bicycle frame L.R. Johnson October 10, 1899
biscuit cutter A.P. Ashbourne November 30, 1875
blood plasma bag Charles Drew Approx. 1945
cellular phone Henry T. Sampson July 6, 1971
chamber commode T. Elkins January 3, 1897
clothes dryer G. T. Sampson June 6, 1862
curtain rod S. R. Scratton November 30, 1889
curtain rod support William S. Grant August 4, 1896
door knob O. Dorsey December 10, 1878
door stop O. Dorsey December 10, 1878
dust pan Lawrence P. Ray August 3, 1897
egg beater Willie Johnson February 5, 1884
electric lampbulb Lewis Latimer March 21, 1882
elevator Alexander Miles October 11, 1867
eye protector P. Johnson November 2, 1880
fire escape ladder J. W. Winters May 7, 1878
fire extinguisher T. Marshall October 26, 1872
folding bed L. C. Bailey July 18, 1899
folding chair Brody & Surgwar June 11, 1889
fountain pen W. B. Purvis January 7, 1890
furniture caster O. A. Fisher 1878
gas mask Garrett Morgan October 13, 1914
golf tee T. Grant December 12, 1899
guitar Robert F. Flemming, Jr. March 3, 1886
hair brush Lydia O. Newman November 15, 18--
hand stamp Walter B. Purvis February 27 1883
horse shoe J. Ricks March 30, 1885
ice cream scooper A. L. Cralle February 2, 1897
improv. sugar making Norbet Rillieux December 10, 1846
insect-destroyer gun A. C. Richard February 28, 1899
ironing board Sarah Boone December 30, 1887
key chain F. J. Loudin January 9, 1894
lantern Michael C. Harvey August 19, 1884
lawn mower L. A. Burr May 19, 1889
lawn sprinkler J. W. Smith May 4, 1897
lemon squeezer J. Thomas White December 8, 1893
lock W. A. Martin July 23, 18--
lubricating cup Ellijah McCoy November 15, 1895
lunch pail James Robinson 1887
mail box Paul L. Downing October 27, 1891
mop Thomas W. Stewart June 11, 1893
motor Frederick M. Jones June 27, 1939
peanut butter George Washington Carver1896
pencil sharpener J. L. Love November 23, 1897
phone transmitter Granville T. Woods December 2, 1884
record player arm Joseph Hunger Dickenson January 8, 1819
refrigerator J. Standard June 14, 1891
riding saddles W. D. Davis October 6, 1895
rolling pin John W. Reed 1864
shampoo headrest C. O. Bailiff October 11, 1898
spark plug Edmond Berger February 2, 1839
stethoscope Imhotep Ancient Egypt
stove T. A. Carrington July 25, 1876
straightening comb Madam C. J. Walker Approx 1905
street sweeper Charles B. Brooks March 17, 1890
thermostat control Frederick M. Jones February 23, 1960
traffic light Garrett Morgan November 20, 1923
tricycle M. A. Cherry May 6, 1886
typewriter Burridge & Marshman April 7, 1885
http://www.uky.edu/StudentOrgs/AWARE/archives/invent.html
Author: mechanic Time: 2009-6-17 05:59 PM
Africans, before the period of their enslavement, developed: agricultural tools, building materials, medicinal herbs, cloth, and weapons, among many other inventions.
Though many black people were brought to Canada, the Caribbean, Central and South America and the United States in chains and under the yoke of slavery, it is relatively unknown that thousands of them engineered labor saving devices and inventions that spawned companies which generated money and jobs, worldwide.
Author: mechanic Time: 2009-6-17 06:00 PM
"Black minds have been inventors, engineers and master-builders since antiquity."
- B.L. Crudup, P.E.
Author: mechanic Time: 2009-6-17 06:05 PM Subject: Lewis Howard Latimer
The Man Who Made Electric Lighting Practical.
Lewis Howard Latimer (1848-1928), inventor, scientist; born in Chelsea, Mass. Latimer served in the Union Navy in 1863, studied drafting, and later invented and patented an incandescent light bulb with a carbon filament in 1881. He served as an engineer for the Edison Company for many years, and while with Edison supervised the installation of the electric light system in New York, N.Y.; Philadelphia, Pa.; Montreal, Canada; and London, England. Latimer wrote the first textbook on the lighting system used by the Edison Company, and he was employed by Alexander Graham Bell to make patent drawings for the first telephone. He also served as chief draftsman for General Electric and Westinghouse companies.
Lewis Latimer was known as a "Renaissance" man, a man of many talents. An accomplished poet, painter, playwrite, musician as well as a pioneering engineer, he overcame many obstacles without having any doubts about his talents. Recognizing that Thomas Edison's bamboo filament was impractical (Edison's original bulb lasted only 30 hours before burning out), Latimer invented the carbon filament, thus making the light bulb practical.
So, the next time you stare out at the lighted skyline of a city, think of the man who made the light bulb practical; Lewis Howard Latimer.
http://www.users.fast.net/~blc/xlhome4.htm
Author: mechanic Time: 2009-6-17 06:08 PM Subject: Dr. James E. West
Electret Microphone Inventor
Ninety percent of microphones used today are based on the ingenuity of James Edward West, an African-American inventor born in 1931 in Prince Edwards County, VA. If you¡¯ve ever talked on the telephone, you¡¯ve probably used his invention.
Dr. James E. West and a colleague, Gerhard Sessler, developed the mic (officially known as the Electroacoustic Transducer Electret Microphone) while with Bell Laboratories, and they received a patent for it in 1962. The acoustical technologies employed became widely used for many reasons including high performance, acoustical accuracy and reliability. It is also small, lightweight and cost effective.
West started at Bell labs as an intern and joined them full-time in 1957 after graduating from Temple University. As the inventor of the microphone, James West has received numerous awards and honors including a Fellow of IEEE, Industrial Research Institute's 1998 Achievement Award, 1995 Inventor of the Year from the State of New Jersey and induction in the Inventors Hall of Fame in 1999. James E. West holds 47 US patents and more than 200 foreign patents from his 40-year career with Bell Laboratories.
During his career, West also involved himself with programs designed to encourage minorities to take more of a role in the sciences. In the 1970's, he was a member of the Association of Black Laboratories Employees (ABLE) at Bell Labs that influenced management to fund the Summer Research Program (SRP) and Cooperate Research Fellowship Program (CRFP) ¨C programs that helped more than 500 non-white students graduate with degrees in science, engineering and mathematics.
James Edward West now works with Johns Hopkins University as a research professor.
http://www.black-inventor.com/James-E-West.asp
Author: broken_heart Time: 2009-6-17 06:10 PM Subject: Reply #151 mechanic's post
look long ago,all those dates
Author: mechanic Time: 2009-6-17 06:19 PM Subject: PHILIP EMEAGWALI
TIME: The "Unsung Hero" Behind the Internet
QUOTE:
"The Web owes much of its existence to Philip Emeagwali"
- TIME magazine
"A father of the Internet"
- CNN
"One of the great minds of the Information Age"
- Bill Clinton (The White House)
A C a l c u l a t i n g M o v e
It's hard to say who invented the Internet. There were many mathematicians and scientists who contributed to its development; computers were sending signals to each other as early as the 1950s. But the Web owes much of its existence to Philip Emeagwali, a math whiz who came up with the formula for allowing a large number of computers to communicate at once.
Emeagwali was born to a poor family in Akure, Nigeria, in 1954. Despite his brain for math, he had to drop out of school because his family, who had become war refugees, could no longer afford to send him. As a young man, he earned a general education certificate from the University of London and later degrees from George Washington University and the University of Maryland, as well as a doctoral fellowship from the University of Michigan.
At Michigan, he participated in the scientific community's debate on how to simulate the detection of oil reservoirs using a supercomputer. Growing up in an oil-rich nation and understanding how oil is drilled, Emeagwali decided to use this problem as the subject of his doctoral dissertation. Borrowing an idea from a science fiction story about predicting the weather, Emeagwali decided that rather than using 8 expensive supercomputers he would employ thousands of microprocessors to do the computation.
The only step left was to find 8 machines and connect them. (Remember, it was the 80s.) Through research, he found a machine called the Connection Machine at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, which had sat unused after scientists had given up on figuring out how to make it simulate nuclear explosions. The machine was designed to run 65,536 interconnected microprocessors. In 1987, he applied for and was given permission to use the machine, and remotely from his Ann Arbor, Michigan, location he set the parameters and ran his program. In addition to correctly computing the amount of oil in the simulated reservoir, the machine was able to perform 3.1 billion calculations per second.
The crux of the discovery was that Emeagwali had programmed each of the microprocessors to talk to six neighboring microprocessors at the same time.
The success of this record-breaking experiment meant that there was now a practical and inexpensive way to use machines like this to speak to each other all over the world. Within a few years, the oil industry had seized upon this idea, then called the Hyperball International Network creating a virtual world wide web of ultrafast digital communication.
The discovery earned him the Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineers' Gordon Bell Prize in 1989, considered the Nobel Prize of computing, and he was later hailed as one of the fathers of the Internet. Since then, he has won more than 100 prizes for his work and Apple computer has used his microprocessor technology in their Power Mac G4 model. Today he lives in Washington with his wife and son.
"The Internet as we know it today did not cross my mind," Emeagwali told TIME. "I was hypothesizing a planetary-sized supercomputer and, broadly speaking, my focus was on how the present creates the future and how our image of the future inspires the present."
http://www.time.com/time/2007/blackhistmth/bios/04.html
Author: mechanic Time: 2009-6-17 06:22 PM
QUOTE:
Originally posted by broken_heart at 2009-6-17 18:10
look long ago,all those dates
Still those old inventions affect us today. There are some new ones such as Philip Emeagwali who is a supercomputer genius and is called a Father of the Internet.
http://emeagwali.com/postage-sta ... hilip-emeagwali.htm
Author: broken_heart Time: 2009-6-17 06:36 PM Subject: Reply #156 mechanic's post
Free from chains the slave saw their opportunity and once given their emancipation they saw their...?
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