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This list of African-American inventors and scientists documents many of the African Americans who have invented a multitude of items or made discoveries in the course of their lives. These have ranged from practical everyday devices to applications and scientific discoveries in diverse fields, including physics, biology, math, and medicine.
- Improved Ironing Board, Invented by Sarah Boone in 1892
- Home Security System, co-invented by Marie Van Brittan Brown in 1966
- The Three-Light Traffic Signal, Invented by Garrett Morgan in 1923
- Refrigerated Trucks, Invented by Frederick Mckinley Jones in 1940
- Automatic Elevator Doors, Invented by Alexander Miles in 1887
- Electret Microphone, co-invented by James E. West in 1964
- Carbon Light Bulb Filament, Invented by Lewis Latimer in 1881
The ironing board is a product that’s used possibly just as much as it’s overlooked. In the late 19th century, it was improved upon by Sarah Boone, an African American woman who was born enslaved. One of the first Black women in U.S. history to receive a patent, she expanded upon the original ironing board, which was essentially a horizontal wooden...
Before security systems became a fixture in homes, an African American nurse Marie Van Brittan Brown, devised an early security unit for her own home. She spent many nights at home alone in Queens, New York while her husband was away, and felt unsafe with high rates of crime in her neighborhood. On top of that, the police were unreliable and unresp...
With only an elementary school education, Black inventor (and son of an enslaved parent), Garrett Morgancame up with several significant inventions, including an improved sewing machine and the gas mask. However, one of Morgan's most influential inventions was the improved traffic light. Morgan's was one of the first three-light systems that were i...
If your refrigerator has any produce from your local grocery store, then you can credit African American inventor Frederick McKinley Jones. Jones took out more than 60 patents throughout his life, including a patent for the roof-mounted cooling system that was used to refrigerate goods on trucks during extended transportation in the mid-1930s. He r...
The use of elevators in everyday life keeps people from facing long climbs up several flights of stairs. However, before the creation of elevator doors that close automatically, riding a lift was both complicated and risky. Before automatic doors, people had to manually shut both the shaft and elevator doors before riding. Forgetting to do so led t...
Even for those who aren’t quick to pick up the mic during karaoke, microphones are used every day to communicate over distances far and wide. And the vast majority of microphones used today, including the microphones used in phones and cameras, use a microphone co-invented by a Black man. Dr. James E. Westwas tasked with creating a more sensitive a...
The light bulb itself was perfected by Thomas Edison, but the innovation used to create longer-lasting light bulbs with a carbon filament came from African American inventor Lewis Latimer. Latimer, the son of formerly enslaved people, began work in a patent law firm after serving in the military for the Union during the Civil War. He was recognized...
Jan 19, 2023 · 15 African-American Inventors to Remember This Black History Month and Beyond From caller ID to the Super Soaker to peanut butter. By McKenzie Jean-Philippe and Jane Burnett Updated: Jan 19, 2023
- Mary Bellis
- Madame C.J. Walker (December 23, 1867–May 25, 1919) Born Sarah Breedlove, Madame C.J. Walker became the first Black woman millionaire by inventing a line of cosmetics and hair products aimed at Black consumers in the first decades of the 20th century.
- George Washington Carver (1861–January 5, 1943) George Washington Carver became one of the leading agronomists of his time, pioneering numerous uses for peanuts, soybeans, and sweet potatoes.
- Lonnie Johnson (Born October 6, 1949) Inventor Lonnie Johnson holds more than 80 U.S. patents, but it's his invention of the Super Soaker toy that is perhaps his most endearing claim to fame.
- George Edward Alcorn Jr. (Born March 22, 1940) is a physicist whose work in the aerospace industry helped revolutionize astrophysics and semiconductor manufacturing.
- Adrienne Donica
- 2 min
- Deputy Editor
- Thomas L. Jennings. 1791–1859. The first African American U.S. patent recipient, Thomas L. Jennings was working as a tailor and businessman in New York City when he invented a process for dry-cleaning delicate clothing known as “dry-scouring.”
- Sarah Boone. 1832-1904. In 1892, Sarah Boone patented a design improvement to Elijah McCoy’s ironing board. The North Carolina native wrote in her application that the purpose of her invention was “to produce a cheap, simple, convenient, and highly effective device, particularly adapted to be used in ironing the sleeves and bodies of ladies’ garments.”
- Alexander Miles. 1838-1918. Anyone who’s ridden modern elevators has Alexander Miles to thank for the stair alternative’s automatic doors. Prior to his design’s 1867 patent, riders had to manually open and close two sets of doors when entering and exiting elevator cars.
- Elijah McCoy. 1844-1929. Of the 57 patents Elijah McCoy—reportedly the namesake for the popular, complimentary phrase “the real McCoy”—received over his lifetime, the portable ironing board might be one of the most timeless.
Learn about the achievements of African American pioneers of science, such as George Washington Carver, Dorothy Vaughan, Mark E. Dean, Mae C. Jemison, and more. Discover how they contributed to fields like agriculture, mathematics, engineering, medicine, and space exploration.
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Feb 1, 2024 · 1. Thomas L. Jennings. A laundry operation circa 1925. / Chaloner Woods/Getty Images. Thomas L. Jennings (1791–1859) was the first African American person to receive a patent in the...
