Inventions by African-Americans

The inventions made by African-Americans are of great significance in the history of USA. These inventions laid foundation for rapid growth in the field of technology. The inventions enlisted in paragraphs below, are from different fields. Potato chips, agricultural products and even the blood bank models were invented by African-Americans. Let us have a detailed look at the different inventions.

Important Inventions by African-Americans

The important inventions and improvements in technology brought about by African-American scientists are presented in the paragraphs below. The descriptions given below, contain some of the famous African-American inventors.

Blood Bank
The concept of 'Blood Banks' was invented by an African-American doctor, Charles Richard Drew. The Red Cross Society used Dr. Drew's Blood Bank project to develop their own model of blood banks. Dr. Drew was appointed as the director of the model.

Potato Chips
George Krum was the inventor of potato chips and he developed this food product in 1853. The story behind invention of potato chips is an interesting one. Till the time, potato chips were invented, French fries were more popular than any other food item in this category. When a customer complained about the thickness of French fries, Mr. Krum decided to make the thinnest fries, however, ended up inventing the most popular snack item. The customer at the restaurant liked the food item and thereon, the popularity of potato chips went on increasing.

Agricultural Inventions/Products
Mr. George Washington Carver and African-American, originally a slave, was a famous scientist, educator and he developed many products from peanuts, pecans, sweet potatoes and soybeans. The production of agricultural products and thereby, income of the farmers in Southern USA greatly increased with the inventions/discoveries of George Carver. The developments brought about by George Washington Carver was kind of a green revolution, which helped the marginal farmers to increase their income.

Mailbox
The mailbox used for dropping letters was invented by Philip B. Downing. This invention was patented on 27th October, 1891.

Steam Engine Lubricator
The steam engine lubricator was invented by Elijah McCoy. A mechanical engineer by profession, McCoy was known for manufacturing high quality products for industries. People relied on the different products released by McCoy. The expression, 'the real McCoy' therefore got associated with the industrial products manufactured by him.

Incandescent Light Bulb Carbon Filament
The improvement in incandescent bulb was brought about by Lewis Howard Latimer. This was done by making use of carbon filament in the bulb. Mr. Latimer was part of Thomas Edison's research team known as 'Edison's Pioneers'.

Gas Mask
Garett Augustus Morgan invented the gas mask. The mask invented by Mr. Morgan had two tubes, one for inhaling clean air, while the other for removing/exhaling air. The gas mask was used by police department as well as the army, during World War I.

Train-to-station Communication
The train-to-station communication system was patented by Granville T. Woods in the year 1887. A system called telegraphony which was invented by Granville T. Woods in 1885, led to the development of train-to-station communication system. The induction telegraph used in communicating between moving trains and stations was patented in 1887.

Shoelasting Machine
Jan Ernst Matzeliger patented the shoelasting machine in 1883. Before the invention of shoelasting machine, process of attaching upper part of the shoe to the sole was time-consuming. Production of shoes went up from 50 pairs per day to 150-700 pairs per day after the invention of shoelasting machine.

The above list of inventions by African-Americans presents a short account of the major/breakthrough technological achievements. African-Americans have contributed greatly in the technological developments which took place in USA and the world, as a whole.