Alexander Miles, Charles Richard Drew, Marie Van Brittan Brown, Shirley Ann Jackson and Mark E. Our world would be very different if it weren't for these 5 African-American inventors and their inventions. Black inventors are among the most revered geniuses in history, known for their tireless curiosity, passionate research and desire to go further. Johnson, Garrett Morgan, Patricia Bath, Percy Julian and more are responsible for some of the world's greatest technological and social advances.
Walker created specialized hair care products for African-American hair and was one of the first American women to become a millionaire on her own. The African-American chemist Percy Julian was a pioneer in the chemical synthesis of drugs such as cortisone, steroids and birth control pills. Elijah McCoy was a 19th-century African-American inventor best known for inventing lubrication devices used to make train travel more efficient. Inventor and teacher who, in 1962, developed electret transducer technology that was later used in 90 percent of contemporary microphones.
Lonnie Johnson is a former Air Force and NASA engineer who invented the popular Super Soaker water gun. Lisa Gelis an African-American entrepreneur, computer scientist and inventor. Gelgraduated from Brown University with a degree in computer science and went on to work on numerous technology projects, including Hulu. She is best known for being the creator of the animations that form GIFs.
In 1988, she patented this device, becoming the first African-American female doctor to receive a patent. Bath was also the first African-American woman to complete her residency in ophthalmology in 1973 and was the first female faculty member of the UCLA Department of Ophthalmology. He was an American inventor and was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for inventing automatic refrigerator equipment. Patricia Bath was the first African-American to complete a residency in ophthalmology and the first African-American doctor to receive a medical patent.
African Americans have been victims of oppression, discrimination and persecution throughout American history, with an impact on African-American innovation. Garrett Morgan paved the way for African-American inventors with his patents, including those for a hair straightening product, a breathing device, a renovated sewing machine and an improved traffic light. The American chemist Percy Lavon Julian made several vital contributions to modern medicine as a result of experimenting with soy. Cook linked violence against African Americans and the lack of legal protection during the 1870-1940 period to less innovation.
John ParkerJohn Parker (1827-1900) owned three of the seventy-seven patents issued to African-Americans in 1886. Jackson, the first African-American woman to obtain a doctorate from MIT, is responsible for monumental telecommunications research that led to the invention of products such as the touch telephone, portable fax, fiber optic cables and caller ID. Walker was the first African-American woman to become a self-made millionaire after creating a line of hair products aimed at black hair. This list of African-American inventors and scientists documents many of the African-Americans who have invented a multitude of items or made discoveries throughout their lives.
