Top 10 African American Innovators

Despite enduring the brutal effects of slavery, numerous African Americans have risen to become pioneering inventors, scientists, and visionaries. Below is a list of the ten most influential African American inventors.

10. Madame C.J. Walker 1867 – 1919

Invented: Hair Care Lotion specifically for Black women

Sarah Breedlove, later known as Madam C. J. Walker, was born to former slaves Owen and Minerva Breedlove. She was an enterprising businesswoman who built her fortune by creating hair products specifically for Black women. Madam Walker claimed her company’s foundation was inspired by a dream in which a large Black man appeared to her and shared a formula to cure baldness. When critics suggested her products were aimed at making Black women’s hair resemble that of white women, she clarified that her goal was simply to help Black women care for their hair and encourage its growth. She became the first African American female millionaire.

Invented: Refrigeration technology

Frederick McKinley Jones was one of the most accomplished Black inventors in history. He held over sixty patents, but he is most renowned for creating an automatic refrigeration system for long-haul trucks in 1935, specifically a roof-mounted cooling device. Jones was the first to develop a practical mechanical refrigeration system for trucks and railroad cars, which solved the issue of food spoilage during extended shipping journeys. His system was later adapted for use on various other types of carriers, including ships. The patent for his invention was granted on July 12, 1940.

Invented: Shoe lasting machine

Jan Matzeliger was born in Paramaribo, Dutch Guiana in 1852. A skilled shoemaker by profession, he was the son of an African homemaker and a Dutch engineer. At the age of ten, Matzeliger started working in his father's machine shop. He moved to the United States at 18. He transformed the shoe industry by inventing the shoe lasting machine, which could attach the sole to a shoe in just one minute. This machine expertly fit the leather upper over a mold, positioned the leather under the sole, and fastened it with nails while stitching the sole to the upper.

Invented: Machinery for refining sugar

Norbert Rillieux was born on March 17, 1806, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Born a free man, despite his mother being a slave, his father was a wealthy White engineer in the cotton industry. Rillieux patented the multiple-effect vacuum pan evaporator, a device that heated sugar cane juice in a partial vacuum, lowering its boiling point and greatly improving fuel efficiency. This innovation revolutionized sugar refining, boosting production, lowering costs, and making sugar a staple in households. Similar technology was later adapted for the manufacturing of soap, gelatin, and glue. Some consider Rillieux's evaporator one of the greatest inventions in the history of American chemical engineering.

Invented: Imaging X-Ray Spectrometer

Physicist George Edward Alcorn, Jr. is most renowned for his creation of the imaging x-ray spectrometer. This device enables scientists to identify materials by producing an x-ray spectrum that can be visually examined, which is particularly useful when the material cannot be physically broken down. Alcorn received a patent for his 'method for fabricating an imaging x-ray spectrometer' in 1984. He was recognized for his innovative use of the thermomigration of aluminum. For this groundbreaking achievement, Alcorn was awarded the NASA/GSFC (Goddard Space Flight Center) Inventor of the Year Award.

Invented: Long-lasting lightbulb

Lewis Latimer was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, in 1848, to George and Rebecca Latimer, who had escaped slavery in Virginia. Latimer worked as the assistant manager and draftsman for the U.S. Electric Lighting Company, owned by Hiram Maxim, a key rival to Thomas Edison. Maxim sought to improve Edison’s light bulb by addressing its primary flaw – the short lifespan, often just a few days. Latimer focused on creating a longer-lasting bulb. He invented a method of encasing the filament in a cardboard envelope, which prevented the carbon from breaking, significantly extending the bulb’s life and making it more affordable and efficient. This innovation helped bring electric lighting into homes and streets.

Invented: A variation of the induction telegraph

Granville Woods' legacy as an inventor is often measured by the respect he garnered from his peers, with many dubbing him the 'Black Thomas Edison.' In 1885, he secured a patent for an innovative apparatus that merged the functionalities of a telephone and a telegraph. This device, which he named 'telegraphony,' allowed telegraph stations to transmit both voice and telegraphic messages over a single wire. Its success was so significant that Woods eventually sold the invention to the American Bell Telephone Company. His most groundbreaking invention came in 1887, the Synchronous Multiplex Railway Telegraph, an evolution of the 'induction telegraph.' This device enabled the transmission of messages from moving trains to railway stations, offering a major leap forward in railway safety by allowing dispatchers to track train locations and reduce accidents. Throughout his career, Woods accumulated over 50 patents for various innovations, including an automatic brake, an egg incubator, and crucial advancements to technologies such as the telegraph, telephone, and phonograph.

Invented: A laser-assisted eye surgery technique

Dr. Patricia Bath, an ophthalmologist who was based in Los Angeles at the time of her invention, became the first African American woman doctor to earn a patent for a medical innovation. In 1988, Bath patented the Cataract Laserphaco Probe, a revolutionary tool that significantly improved cataract surgery by employing a laser to remove cataract lenses with precision and minimal discomfort. This technique replaced the old method of using a grinding, drill-like instrument. The device allowed for a more accurate procedure and helped patients who had been blind for decades regain their sight. Bath’s groundbreaking work in laser eye surgery earned her a spot in medical history with patent no. 4,744,360.

Invented: Gas mask, and a type of traffic light

Garrett Morgan, an inventor and entrepreneur from Cleveland, is best known for creating the Morgan safety hood and smoke protector in 1914. On July 25, 1916, his invention made headlines when Morgan used the gas mask to rescue 32 men trapped in an explosion 250 feet underground beneath Lake Erie. With the help of volunteers, Morgan donned the safety hood and ventured into the dangerous tunnel. After the rescue, his company was flooded with requests from fire departments nationwide who wanted to purchase the gas masks. The device was later adapted for use by the U.S. Army during World War I. In 1914, Garrett Morgan secured a patent for the Safety Hood and Smoke Protector. Inspired by a traffic accident involving an automobile and a horse-drawn carriage, Morgan also turned his attention to creating a traffic signal. While other inventors had worked on similar devices, Morgan became one of the first to patent an affordable and efficient traffic signal.

Invented: Improved electrical resistor, and a control unit for pacemakers

Throughout his life, Boykin invented over 25 different electronic devices. Among his early creations was an enhanced electrical resistor used in computers, radios, televisions, and other electronic devices. He also developed a variable resistor for guided missiles and small, thick-film resistors for computers. Boykin’s most renowned invention, however, was the control unit for pacemakers. This device uses electrical impulses to help regulate the heartbeat. Ironically, Boykin passed away in 1982 due to heart failure.

Notable Omissions: Benjamin Bradley, George Washington Carver