Transcript Top Ten African American Inventors

Top Ten African American
Inventors
Elijah McCoy (1843-1929)
Developed a “lubricating
cup” in 1872 that
automatically dripped oil
when and where needed
for trains. The “lubricating
cup” was so popular that
orders for it came in from
railroad companies
nationwide. Other
inventors tried to sell their
own versions of the device,
but most companies
preferred “the real McCoy,”
‘giving rise to the popular
American expression
meaning the ‘real thing.’
The real McCoy
Fast Fact: Other inventors tried to copy McCoy's oil-dripping cup.
But none of the other cups worked as well as his, so customers
started asking for "the real McCoy." That's where the expression
comes from.
Lewis Latimer (1848-1928)
Developed a carbon
filament for light bulbs
which help them burned
for several hours in a
day.
Carbon filament for light bulbs
Fast Fact: Latimer worked in the laboratories of both Thomas Edison
and Alexander Graham Bell.
Jan Ernst Matzeliger
(1852-1889)
In 1882, Matzeliger perfected
a shoe lasting machine that
was able to complete 150 to
700 pairs of shoes a day. By
1889 the demand of the shoe
lasting machine was
overwhelming and The
Consolidated Lasting
Machine Co. was formed,
where Matzelinger was given
huge blocks of stock for his
invention. His machine had
revolutionized the entire shoe
industry in the U.S. and
around the world.
Shoe lasting machine
Fast Fact: In 1992, the U.S. made a postage stamp in honor of
Matzeliger.
Granville T. Woods (18561910)
Invented a system called
telegraphy, a train to
station communication
system that allowed
telegraph lines to carry
voice signals. In 1887 he
patented the induction
telegraph for sending
messages to and from
moving trains.
Train to station communication system
Fast Fact: Woods left school at age 10 to work and support his
family.
George Washington
Carver (1860-1943)
Is best known for developing
crop rotation methods that
alternated nitrate-producing
legumes, such as peanuts and
peas with cotton, which
depletes soil of its nutrients.
then developed more than
300 different uses for the
extra peanuts, from cooking
oil to printer’s ink. When he
discovered that the sweet
potato and the pecan also
enriched depleted soils,
Carver found more than 100
uses for sweet potatoes and
about 75 for pecans, including
synthetic rubber and material
for paving highways.
Peanut butter
Fast Fact: Carver was born a slave. He didn't go to college
until he was 30.
Garrett Morgan (18771963)
In 1912, Morgan created a
Safety Hood and patented it
as a Breathing Device, which
later came to be known as the
Gas Mask. Morgan’s Gas
Mask consisted of a hood
with two long tubes, one
allowing in clean air and the
other allowing the user to
exhale air out of the hood. Fire
and police departments across
the country began placing
orders. With the outbreak of
World War I and the use of
poisonous gases, Morgan's
Gas Mask was utilized by the
United States Army, saving
the lives of thousands of
soldiers.
Gas Mask
Fast Fact: Morgan also invented the first traffic signal.
Madam C.J. Walker (18671919)
Developed many beauty
and hair care products
that were extremely
popular. Madam Walker
started a cosmetics
business in 1905. She
started her cosmetics
business in 1905. Her first
product was a scalp
treatment that used
petrolatum and sulphur.
Madam Walker became a
millionaire from her
business, which was at its
peak from 1911 through
1922; she employed
thousands of people.
Hair-growing lotion
Fast Fact: Walker grew up poor. But she became the first female
African- American millionaire.
Otis Boykin (1920-1982)
Is best known for inventing
an improved electrical
resistor used in computers,
radios, television sets and a
variety of electronic devices.
His resistor helped reduce the
cost of those products. Otis
Boykin also invented a
variable resistor used in
guided missile parts, a control
unit for heart stimulators, a
burglar-proof cash register
and a chemical air filter. In
total, Otis Boykin patented
twenty-eight electronic
devices.
Improved electrical resistor (pace maker)
Fast Fact: Boykin invented 28 different electronic devices
Dr. Patricia E. Bath (1949- )
Dedicated her life to the
treatment and prevention
of visual impairments. Her
personal belief that
everyone has the "Right to
Sight" led to her invention,
the Laserphaco Probe, in
1985 of a specialized tool
and procedure for the
removal of cataracts. With
the Laserphaco Probe and
procedure, Dr. Bath
increased the accuracy and
results of cataract surgery,
which had previously been
performed manually with a
mechanical grinder.
Laserphaco Probe
Fast Fact: Dr. Bath has been nominated to the National Inventors
Hall of Fame.
Lonnie G. Johnson (1949- )
In 1982, Lonni Johnson
conducted an experiment at
home on a heat pump that
used water instead of Freon
and as a result, his homemade
nozzle shot a spray of water
across the room. In 1989 he
created a workable prototype
called the SuperSoaker®
which became the world's
first high-performance,
pressurized water gun. The
SuperSoaker® became the
number-one selling toy in the
country with more than $200
millions dollars in sales.
The SuperSoaker®
Fast Fact: Johnson's company just came out with a new Nerf ball toy
gun.
Work Sited
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