Granville Woods
Born April 23, 1856 - Died Jan. 30, 1910
U.S. Patent No. 373,383
After obtaining his first patent for a steam boiler furnace, in 1885 Woods began to work on his most notable invention, which he called “telegraphony.” This form of communication combined features of both the telephone and the telegraph, allowing users to switch between Morse code and their voices to transmit messages.
Based on telegraphony, Woods invented the induction telegraph in 1887. Prior to its creation, moving trains were unable to communicate with each other or with rail stations, resulting in dangerous situations. The induction telegraph used static electricity from the existing telegraph lines running parallel to the train tracks, making messaging possible between moving trains and rail stations.
The induction telegraph would later become the basis of Woods’ synchronous multiplex railway telegraph. This device not only helped dispatchers locate trains, but also allowed moving trains to communicate to or from any direction via telegraph.
National Inventors Hall of Fame
Garrett Augustus Morgan Sr.
Born March 4, 1887 - Died Aug. 27, 1963
U.S. Patent Nos. 1,090,936; 1,475,024
Inventor and entrepreneur Garrett Augustus Morgan pioneered important inventions including the “safety hood” — the forerunner of the gas mask — and the mechanical three-way traffic signal.
In 1912, he filed for a patent on his breathing device, a “safety hood” that was designed to give a first responder the ability to “supply himself at will with fresh air from near the floor [and] at the same time forcibly remove smoke or injurious gases from the air tube.” Two years later, he established the National Safety Device Co.
Morgan patented his three-way traffic signal in 1923. According to his patent, his hand-operated signal stopped traffic “in all directions before the signal to proceed in any one direction is given.” This allowed vehicles that were already in an intersection to safely pass through it without the risk of collision. He sold his patent rights for $40,000 to General Electric, and the company developed an electric version of his three-way traffic signal.
National Inventors Hall of Fame
Charles Richard Drew
Born June 3, 1904 - Died April 1, 1950
U.S. Patent No. 2,389,355
One of the world’s most impactful surgeons, educators and innovators, Charles Drew invented a safe way to store, process and transport blood plasma. His work not only saved lives during World War II, but it also revolutionized blood plasma storage through the process of blood banking and continues to save lives today.
Drew’s breakthroughs in blood preservation occurred at a critical time, as World War II was ongoing in Europe, and Great Britain needed large amounts of blood and plasma to treat its wounded soldiers. Using the experimental blood bank they had just tested as a blueprint, Drew and Scudder spearheaded the “Blood for Britain” program to ship plasma overseas.
Following the success of the “Blood for Britain” program, in 1941, Drew became both the first Black surgeon to serve as examiner on the American Board of Surgery and the first director of the American Red Cross Blood Bank in New York. He created several mobile blood donation stations, which would later be known as bloodmobiles.
National Inventors Hall of Fame
Percy Lavon Julian
Born April 11, 1899 - Died April 19, 1975
U.S. Patent No. 2,752,339
Percy Lavon Julian synthesized physostigmine for treatment of glaucoma and cortisone for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. He is also noted for a fire-extinguishing foam for gasoline and oil fires.
He returned to DePauw University, where his reputation was established in 1935 by synthesizing physostigmine from the calabar bean. Julian went on to become director of research at the Glidden Company, a paint and varnish manufacturer. He developed a process for isolating and preparing soy bean protein, which could be used to coat and size paper, to create cold water paints, and to size textiles. During World War II, Julian used a soy protein to produce “AeroFoam” which suffocates gasoline and oil fires.
Julian was noted most for his synthesis of cortisone from soy beans, used in treating rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory conditions. His synthesis reduced the price of cortisone.
National Inventors Hall of Fame
Frederick McKinley Jones
Born May 17, 1893 - Died Feb. 21, 1961
U.S. Patent No. 2,303,857
He invented the first successful system for mobile refrigeration. His invention eliminated the far less effective use of ice and salt to preserve foods for transport, greatly extending the distance over which food could be effectively delivered.
After some experimentation, Jones successfully created a compact, durable and shock-resistant unit with a compressor mounted under the trailer. It was powered by a four-cylinder engine. Jones earned a patent for his invention in July 1940, and he and Numero started their own company. Called Thermo King Corp., their company provided refrigerated trucks for transporting food to soldiers during World War II. Thermo King grew to be an international corporation, making over $1 billion in annual sales when it was bought out by Ingersoll-Rand Co. in 1997.
Over the course of his career, Jones earned over 60 patents for his many inventions. In 1944, he became the first Black member of the American Society of Refrigeration Engineers. In 1991, he was posthumously awarded the National Medal of Technology, becoming the first Black American to receive this honor.
National Inventors Hall of Fame
George Washington Carver
Born 1864 - Died Jan. 5, 1943
U.S. Patent Nos. 1,522,176; 1,541,478
Agricultural chemist George Washington Carver shaped the future of farming by developing innovative crop-rotation methods for conserving nutrients in soil, and by discovering hundreds of new uses for crops including the peanut and sweet potato.
While at Tuskegee, Carver conducted soil studies and discovered that the region’s soil was ideal for growing peanuts and sweet potatoes. Though cotton was the most popular crop in the South at the time, it was very nutrient-intensive to grow. To address this, Carver began teaching farmers that rotating their soil-depleting cotton crops with nitrate-producing legumes and sweet potatoes could both improve the health of their soil and increase their cotton yield.
As southern farmers began rotating their crops, planting peanuts and sweet potatoes one year and cotton the next, large surpluses soon developed. This inspired Carver to invent many different uses for these crops. He developed ways to turn sweet potatoes into flour, vinegar, writing ink, dyes and paints – but it was with peanuts that he found his greatest success. He developed 325 different uses for peanuts, including milk, cooking oil, paper, soap and wood stains.
National Inventors Hall of Fame
Patricia Bath
Born Nov. 4, 1942 - Died May 30, 2019
U.S. Patent No. 4,744,360
Dr. Patricia Bath invented laserphaco, a new device and technique to remove cataracts. It performed all steps of cataract removal: making the incision, destroying the lens and vacuuming out the fractured pieces. Bath is recognized as the first Black woman physician to receive a medical patent.
She then began her career at UCLA, becoming the first woman ophthalmologist on the faculty of its prestigious Jules Stein Eye Institute. She was appointed assistant chief of the King-Drew-UCLA Ophthalmology Residency Program in 1974 and chief in 1983. Bath conceived her laserphaco device in 1981, published her first paper in 1987 and had her first U.S. patent issued in 1988. Her minimally invasive device was used in Europe and Asia by 2000.
Included among her many achievements, she was the first Black woman to complete a residency in ophthalmology at NYU and the first woman to chair an ophthalmology residency program in the United States at Drew-UCLA. She has been recognized as a laser pioneer, and among her numerous honors she has been recognized by the National Science Foundation, the Lemelson Center, the American Medical Women’s Association, the U.S. National Library of Medicine, the American Academy of Ophthalmology Museum of Vision & Ophthalmic Heritage, the Association of Black Women Physicians with its Lifetime Achievement Award for Ophthalmology Contributions, and by Alpha Kappa Alpha with its Presidential Award for Health and Medical Services.
National Inventors Hall of Fame
Lewis Latimer
Born Sept. 4, 1848 - Died Dec. 11, 1928
U.S. Patent No. 252,386
Lewis Latimer invented a method for producing a more durable carbon filament, making incandescent lighting practical and affordable for consumers.
Working as a self-taught draftsman after the war, Latimer made the drawings for Alexander Graham Bell’s first patent application for the telephone. He made his most important innovation in electric light technology while working for the United States Electric Lighting Co. in the 1880s. Latimer’s design produced a carbon filament that was more durable and longer lasting than earlier filaments. As a result, incandescent light bulbs became affordable to more consumers. Safer than gas lamps, and less harsh than arc lights, incandescent bulbs transformed the average American home after nightfall.
Despite the societal roadblocks a black man faced in the late 19th century, Latimer successfully oversaw the setup of electric lighting plants in the United States, Canada and England. After leaving U.S. Electric Lighting, Latimer worked for Thomas Edison and became a patent investigator and expert witness for the Edison Electric Light Co.
National Inventors Hall of Fame
Jan Ernst Matzeliger
Born Sept. 15, 1852 - Died Aug. 24, 1889
U.S. Patent No. 274,207
Jan Matzeliger invented the automatic shoe-lasting machine, mechanizing the complex process of joining a shoe sole to its upper, and revolutionizing the shoe industry.
At the time, shoes were usually made by hand making for a tedious and time-consuming process. With reference books and a secondhand set of drafting instruments, Matzeliger worked diligently on his own time after long days at the factory. Matzeliger built his first model out of wooden cigar boxes, elastic and wire. However, after two years of perseverance, Matzeliger’s prototype was complete.
Having earned a patent for his device in 1883, Matzeliger continued improving upon his invention until it could produce 700 pairs of shoes per day. This was a dramatic increase over the 50 pairs a skilled laster could make by hand each day. As a result, shoe prices dropped by nearly half, making quality shoes affordable to a great number of people for the first time. Thanks in large part to his invention, Lynn, Massachusetts, came to be known as “The Shoe Capital of the World.” To recognize Matzeliger’s technological impact and enduring legacy, a Black heritage postage stamp was issued in his honor in 1991.
National Inventors Hall of Fame
Sarah E. Goode
Born 1850 - Died April 8, 1905.
U.S. Patent No. 322,17
Sarah Jacob was born into slavery in about 1850; she gained her freedom at the end of the Civil War and moved to Chicago shortly after. In Chicago she met and married Archibald Goode, a carpenter.
In working with her customers, she heard their needs and that led to her invention: a cabinet bed or a fold-a-way bed. Her customers lived in small apartments and needed to maximize their space. Sarah worked out a design for a bed that could be used for sleeping during the night but converted into a rolltop desk during the day. The bed, complete with mattress and spring support, was attached by hinges and could be raised or lowered as needed. Because it was a rolltop it also provided storage.
On July 14, 1885, Sarah E. Goode, became the first African American woman to be granted a patent by the U.S. Patent And Trademark Office for her invention, the cabinet bed. Today we have the Murphy bed and the hide-away bed/couch as a result.
America Comes Alive
Elijah McCoy
Born May 2, 1844 - Died Oct. 10, 1929
U.S. Patent No. 129,843
Elijah McCoy received his first patent for an automatic lubricating device in 1872. Previously, engines had to be stopped before necessary lubrication could be applied. McCoy’s invention allowed engines to be lubricated while they ran, saving precious time and money.
Returning home, McCoy was unable to find work as a mechanical engineer, so he went to work for the Michigan Central Railroad as a fireman. His duties included lubricating engine parts. Engines needed frequent lubrication, and each time, the trains had to be stopped and started, an inefficient process. McCoy was convinced there was a better way and invented his automatic lubricator.
McCoy continued to create improvements on his device, and soon, long distance locomotives, transatlantic ships and factory machines were using his lubricating invention. His reputation spread, and users of heavy equipment were wary of buying cheap substitutes. As a result, they often asked for “the real McCoy,” a phrase that still exists in today’s vocabulary.
National Inventors Hall of Fame
Norbert Rillieux
Born March 17, 1806 - Died Oct. 8, 1894
U.S. Patent No. 4,879
Considered one of the earliest chemical engineers, Norbert Rillieux revolutionized the sugar industry when he invented a refining process, evaporation in multiple effect. This process became the basic of all modern industrial evaporation and is used to produce not only sugar but also soap, gelatin, condensed milk and glue. It also is used in the recovery of waste liquids in factories and distilleries.
By 1830, Rillieux had published several papers on steam engines and steam power, and he subsequently began working on what would become the multistage evaporator. Rillieux’s idea improved upon a process that was not only expensive, requiring large amounts of fuel to heat multiple kettles, but also extremely dangerous. This labor-intensive process threatened the lives of enslaved people as they were directed to transfer boiling cane juice from one cauldron to another.
Rillieux’s invention made an immediate impact following its commercial release, producing a higher-quality product while using less fuel. These improvements in efficiency catapulted the U.S. into a leading role in global sugar production and helped transform sugar from a luxury item to a common one. Remaining in Paris until his death in 1894, Rillieux never received the credit he was due for his multistage evaporation process during his lifetime. However, in 1934, the International Sugar Cane Technologists created a memorial recognizing his revolutionary achievements, and in 2002, the American Chemical Society designated his automated sugar refining invention a National Historic Chemical Landmark.
National Inventors Hall of Fame
William Peyton Hubbard
Born 27 January 1842, Died 30 April 1935
William Peyton Hubbard, politician, inventor, baker, coachman.
By 1861, he completed an apprenticeship and was working as a baker, specializing in cake making. He invented the Hubbard Portable Oven, which his brothers later turned into a successful business. A 1900 advertisement touted the oven as “practically fire-proof” and much smaller than standard brick ovens.
One of Hubbard’s lasting legacies was the establishment of a public electricity grid in Toronto. In the early 20th century, electricity in the home was a luxury many Torontonians could not afford. Alongside Adam Beck, Hubbard helped to establish the provincial Hydro-Electric Power Commission (now Hydro One) before securing legislation establishing a city-wide public power grid. Hubbard died in 1935 after a brief illness. In honour of his contributions to Toronto, flags on all public city buildings were flown at half mast the day he died.
National Inventors Hall of Fame
Andrew Jackson Beard
Born 1849 - Died 1921
U.S. Patent No. 594,059
He invented improvements to the automatic railroad car coupler, a device that dramatically reduced serious injuries to railroad workers. Beard’s invention was a forerunner of automatic couplers used today.
In 1881, he earned his first patent on a double plow design that allowed users to adjust the distance between plow plates. He sold his patent rights in 1884 for $4,000 – the equivalent of about $130,000 in today’s market. In 1887, Beard patented a second double plow design that allowed the pitch of the blades to be adjusted. In addition to his plow inventions, by 1892, Beard also had earned two patents for rotary steam engines
In 1897, Beard made a major impact on the railroad industry when he patented his most important invention – an improvement on the automatic railroad car coupler. His device came to be called the “Jenny Coupler,” and it was one of many inventions that aimed to improve the knuckle coupler invented by Eli Janney in 1873. Beard received three patents for his lifesaving car-coupling technology, and he sold the patent rights to the railroad industry. His legacy of safety extended across the country when, in 1897, Congress passed the Federal Safety Appliance Act, which outlawed the operation of any rail cars without automatic couplers.
National Inventors Hall of Fame
Daniel Hale Williams
Born January 18, 1858, Died August 4, 1931.
He was an American physician and founder of Provident Hospital in Chicago, credited with the first successful heart surgery.
In response to the lack of opportunity for African Americans in the medical professions, he founded (1891) the country’s first interracial hospital, Provident. In addition to offering medical care to African American patients, Provident provided training for African American interns and ran the first school for African American nurses in the United States.
It was at Provident Hospital that Williams performed daring heart surgery on July 10, 1893. Although contemporary medical opinion disapproved of surgical treatment of heart wounds, Williams opened the patient’s thoracic cavity without aid of blood transfusions or modern anesthetics and antibiotics. During the surgery he examined the heart, sutured a wound of the pericardium, and closed the chest. The patient lived at least 20 years following the surgery. Williams became the only African American charter member of the American College of Surgeons in 1913.
Marie van Brittan Brown
Born 1922, Died 1999.
U.S. Patent number 3,482,037
African American inventor Marie Van Brittan Brown contributed to a safer society with her invention of the first home security system. Her invention was the first closed-circuit television security system and paved the way for modern home security systems used today. Her husband, Albert Brown, was an electronics technician.
In 1966, Brown, along with the assistance of her husband, invented a security system which consisted of four peepholes, a sliding camera, television monitors, and two-way microphones. These items created a closed-circuit television system for surveillance also known as CCTV.
Her invention was recognized in The New York Times and she received an award from the National Scientists Committee for her work. Brown’s contribution to home security led her invention to be cited in 32 subsequent patent applications. Her invention formed a system that is still relevant in today’s society with use in places such as banks, office buildings, and apartment complexes.
Alexander Miles
Born May 18, 1838 - Died May 7, 1918
U.S. Patent No. 371,207
Alexander Miles developed innovations for elevator cabin and shaft doors, making it possible for the doors to automatically open and close. His work ensured much safer and more convenient elevator rides.
While working as a barber, Alexander developed and manufactured a new hair care product which he called Tunisian Hair Dressing. With a penchant for inventing early on, in around 1871 he received his first patent for a hair-cleaning product called Cleansing Balm, and 12 years later he received his second for an improved hair tonic recipe.
Miles patented his design for an improved method for opening and closing elevators in 1887. By allowing the doors to automatically open and close at the desired floors, his innovations made elevators not only safer but also easier and more convenient. The influence of this trailblazing inventor and entrepreneur still can be seen in modern elevator designs, with the standard feature of automatic cabin and shaft doors continuing to ensure safety.
National Inventors Hall of Fame