"The Real McCoy
Elijah J. McCoy - 1843-1929
His life
His invention was dubbed "The Real McCoy" by manufacturers who refused to accept imitation models; the phrase is still used today. He held 57 patents.
Achievements
Developed technique for lubricating machinery while in use, which drastically reduced time and labor costs
African-American Patent Holders
An extensive list of most historical black inventors holding patents, listed by name, patent date and invention with in-depth biographical and technical information on many black inventors and the inventions.
- Benjamin Banneke - His inventive spirit would lead him to be called the "first African American inventor", Banneker invented the first Farmers' Almanac.
- Andrew Jackson Beard - On November 27, 1897, Beard received a patent for a device he called the Jenny Coupler.
- Miriam E. Benjamin - Ms. Benjamin was the second black woman to receive a patent. She received a patent for an invention she called 'a Gong and Signal Chair for Hotels.'
- Henry Blair - Henry Blair was the second black inventor issued a patent by the United States Patent Office.
- Bessie Blount - Blount invented a device to help disabled persons eat.
- Sarah Boone - The ironing board (U.S. Patent #473,653) was invented by African-American Sarah Boone on December 30, 1887.
- Otis Boykin - Boykin invented the 'Electrical Resistor' used in computers, radios, television sets and a variety of electronic devices.
- Charles Brooks - C. B. Brooks invented the first street sweeper truck and was issued a patent on March 17, 1896.
- Henry Brown - Brown patented a 'receptacle for storing and preserving papers' on November 2, 1886, which developed into what is now known as the bank safety deposit box.
- George Washington Carver - Carver invented peanut butter, adhesives, bleach, chili sauce, ink, instant coffee, linoleum, mayonnaise, paper, plastic, pavement, shaving cream, talcum powder and more.
- George Carruthers - Carruthers was the inventor of the far-ultraviolet camera and the spectrograph.
- Emmett W. Chappelle - Chappelle was a biochemist, photobiologist, astrochemist and inventor.
- John B. Christian - John B. Christian invented and patented new lubricants used in high flying aircraft and NASA space missions.
- David Crosthwait - Crosthwait holds 39 patents for heating systems and temperature regulating devices. He is most well known for creating the heating system for New York City's famous Radio City Music Hall.
- Mark Dean - Dean co-invented improvements in computer architecture that allowed IBM compatible PCs to use the same peripheral devices.
- Dr. Charles Richard Drew - Drew was the first person to develop the blood bank.
- Philip Emeagwali - In 1989, Emeagwali won the Gordon Bell Prize, considered the equivalent of the Nobel Prize, for developing the fastest supercomputer software in the world.
- Sarah E. Goode - Sarah Goode was the first African-American women to recieve a patent (US #322,177), which was issued on 7/14/1885. She invented a type of cabinet bed.
- Meredith C. Gourdine - Gourdine was the inventor of electrogasdynamics systems.
- Lloyd Augustus Hall - Lloyd Hall is responsible for the meat curing products, seasonings, emulsions, bakery products, antioxidants, protein hydrolysates and many other products that keep our food fresh and flavoUrable.
- Thomas L. Jennings - Thomas L. Jennings was the first African American to receive a patent (US patent3306x), which was issued on March 3rd, 1821.
- Lonnie Johnson - Johnson invented the Super Soaker® a squirt gun and also invented thermodynamics systems on the side.
- Frederick Jones - Jones invented the first automatic refrigeration system for long-haul trucks.
- Marjorie Stewart Joyner - Joyner invented a permanent wave machine that would allow a hairdo to stay set for days.
- Percy Lavon Julian - Julian synthesized the medicines physostigmine for glaucoma and cortisone for rheumatoid arthritis and invented fire-extinguishing equipment.You can find more on Percy Julian by clicking CLICKING on THIS LINK
- Lewis Howard Latimer - Latimer invented the water closet for railroad cars, an electric lamp with an inexpensive carbon filament and a threaded wooden socket for light bulbs.
- John Lee Love - The "Love Sharpener" was designed by John Lee Love. Love's invention is the very simple and portable pencil sharpener that many artists use today.
- Jan Ernst Matzeliger - Matzeliger invented an automatic method for lasting shoes, which made the mass production of affordable shoes possible.
- Elijah McCoy - McCoy is best known for having invented the automatic oil cup. During his life, he invented and sold 57 different kinds of devices and machine parts including an ironing board and a lawn sprinkler. His first invention was a lubricator for steam engines ( US #129,843), which was issued on July 12th, 1872.
- Garrett A. Morgan - Morgan invented the gas mask and the automatic traffic signal.
- Norbert Rillieux - Rillieux invented the sugar processing evaporator.
- Madame Walker - Madame Walker was a St. Louis washerwoman turned entrepreneur, who in 1905 invented a method to soften and smooth African-American hair.
- Granville T. Woods - Woods invented improvements to electric railways, air brakes, telephones and telegraphs; a chicken egg incubator and an apparatus for an amusement park ride.
LINKS TO OTHER INFORMATION
- Colors of Innovation - African-American Innovators - Many familiar black inventors are discussed on this page, along with a surprising amount of unfamiliar names.
- The Black Inventor - Many prominent inventors are discussed in detail in this online museum of black inventor history.
- Faces of Science: African Americans in the Sciences - Faces allows you to research scientists and inventors of color from the past and present, using the large alphabetical index. The articles have depth of information and an electronic conference resource is available.
- Invention Table - The table lets you click on an invention's name that will then take the reader to the correct page of the African-American Inventor Series, where your selection will be in alphabetical order with similar items.
- The Black Inventor Timeline - The timeline tells who invented what, and when.
- Black Inventors & Their Inventions - A table of black inventors and what each invented, there is a special section for black women inventors.
- African-American Inventors Database - This list puts all other lists of this type to shame. No one is left out of this huge database of names.
- African American Women Inventors: Historical - This is a graph table listing the timeline, patent number, invention and inventor.
- Women & Minorities In Science & Engineering - A directory with great links to information about women and minorities in science and engineering. Included topics are organizations, profiles and grants.
- African-American Inventors Of Our Times - Several inventors are discussed in this Invention Dimension article.
- African-American Women Inventors of the Early 20th Century - Socially significant personal care items invented by African-American female inventors are discussed in this Invention Dimension article.
- African-American Inventors of the Late 19th Century - Practical inventions for everyday use from the late 19th century are discussed in this article.
- Black Facts - This is a great place to search for all kinds of facts about black history.
- Black History Month - Annually, february is 'Black History Month', which was originally established as 'Negro History Week' in 1926, by the noted African-American scholar Dr. Carter G. Woodson. The week became the month of February in 1976.
- Historical African American Inventors - An article from 'The Faces of Science' with the focus on patents excerpts, where the original patents can be viewed.
- Blacks in Technology: Past and Present - Five inventors are profiled in this article; Granville T. Woods, Lewis H. Latimer, Elijah McCoy, Garrett Morgan, Frederick Jones and Jan Ernst Matzeliger.
- Historic Contributions of Black Scientists and Engineers - This article is from Black Contributors to Science and Energy Technology written by the US Department of Energy.
- Freep/Black History Inventors - This article is from the Detroit Free Press and has shorts blurbs on different black inventors including; Dr. Charles Richard Drew (blood bank), Percy Julian (fire-fighting foam), Garrett Morgan (traffic signal) and more.
- Great African Americans You Should Know - From the Black Collegian Online, this article highlights several noteworthy African-American inventors.
- Black History - Black History discusses the politics of rewriting history and why black inventors have not been recognized.
- Today In Black History - You can look up any date and find out what happened in black history for that day.
