I
just wanted to share something with all of you before I continue on
with this blog post.
For
the Wednesday blog entries that I have typed up this month (as part
of the special “Black History Month” feature), I have been
focusing a lot on the various inventions that people of colour have
brought to the world. And, in doing my research for these entries, I
have relied heavily on this website.
The
Black Inventor Online Museum has proved to be a fantastic tool for my
research, and I'll readily admit that by visiting this website, I
learned so much about the various things that were invented by black
people. In fact, there were some instances in which I learned things
that I had never known before.
I'm
showing you this link because it really is a well-designed site.
And, it also looks as if it gets updated fairly regularly, as there
are sections that are marked “NEW”. It's completely amazing to
know just how these contributions have helped shape our world.
Unfortunately,
the information for a few of these extraordinary inventors is not
exactly chock-filled with pertinent facts. If anything, they're more
or less one or two paragraph blurbs. And, that's a shame because I
think that these inventors really need to get credited for their
contributions to modern society.
So,
for this week's edition of the blog, I thought that I would recognize
these inventors in one super-post. I've randomly selected ten
inventors from this website to feature. We'll talk about who they
are, what they created, and how it has impacted our world. So, let's
begin this salute to black inventors with...
SARAH
BOONE
Sarah
Boone filed away for a patent for a little invention that she created
that helped press clothes more efficiently. She was granted that
patent on April 26, 1892. Now, I imagine that most of you believe
that she invented the modern day iron, which assists in getting the
wrinkles out of dress shirts and trousers, but this is not true. She
did invent the predecessor modern day ironing board by using a wooden
board with collapsible legs and a padded cover that was designed
specifically for the fitted clothing that everyone wore back then.
These days, thanks to wrinkle-resistant fabrics, irons and ironing
boards aren't used as much these days (heck, even Monopoly opted to
ditch the iron token in 2013 to bring in a kitty cat token). But,
still, her invention certainly made looking good much easier.
MATTHEW
CHERRY
Matthew
Cherry was a key figure in helping two and three year olds get around
using the power of wheels. Patented on May 8, 1888, Cherry invented
something called a velocipede, which consisted of a metal frame with
either two or three wheels attached to the bottom. By sitting on top
of the seat of the velocipede, they could move forward at varying
speeds by moving their feet along the ground in a fast walking or
running motion.
Of
course, nowadays, we refer to these devices as tricycles.
And,
that's not the only innovation that Cherry came up with either.
Cherry also patented a fender for streetcars on New Years Day, 1895,
which prevented the car from getting damaged if it collided with
another object while traveling. Over the years, Cherry's fender
technology was implemented on other modes of transportation.
JOSEPH
DICKINSON
Here
we have our first Canadian on the list. Joseph Dickinson was born in
1855 (the 1955 date they have listed in the bio was obviously a
typo...unless he met Doc Brown and Marty McFly in his travels.
You
might be surprised to learn that Dickinson's contribution in the
world of black history is linked to music...but he never sang or
played a musical instrument. He built them instead.
It
was Dickinson who patented the the reed organ, and together with his
father-in-law formed the Dickinson-Gould Organ Company after he
married Eva Gould in 1884. Prior to the founding of the company,
Dickinson won a prize for an organ he designed at the Centennial
Exposition in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania, and was once hired to build
an organ for the Royal Family of Portugal!
JAMES
FORTEN
James
Forten helped out in the fight to give African-Americans their
freedom while simultaneously building a fortune for himself by
building a better sailing mechanism.
First,
let's talk about his invention. When Forten was younger, his father
was killed in a boating accident, and whether this fueled his desire
to find a way to make boating easier, I cannot say. What I do know
is that Forten did some experiments with various sails of different
sizes and textures, trying to find a way to make sailing more
efficient. He did not come up with the patent for the sail, but he
managed to find a way to create a sail that was better for
maneuvering the ship, and being able to maintain greater speed.
What
was really cool was how Forten spent his fortune made from the
discovery. He purchased slaves so he could set them free, he started
up a school for black children, used his home as a refuge spot for
people traveling through the Underground Railroad to secure their
freedom, and he financed and contributed to William Garrison's
newspaper, “The Libertarian”. What an amazing guy!
GEORGE
GRANT
Tiger
Woods, Phil Mickelson, Arnold Palmer, Retief Goosen, Vijay Singh, and
Mike Weir all owe a debt of gratitude to Grant, whose invention
helped make the sport of golf much easier to play.
December
12, 1899 marked the date that Grant patented the modern day golf tee
– a device he made in frustration over the wind blowing the golf
ball in all directions while playing the game. The first golf tee
was made of wood, with a concave piece of rubber to keep the ball in
place (keeping in mind that golf balls in the turn of the 20th
century were made of rubber). This innovation allowed golfers to
make longer drives, and allowed the golfer more control over where to
hit the ball.
SARAH
GOODE
Sarah
Goode made history when she received her patent for the folding
cabinet bed...she was the very first African-American woman to
receive such a patent in history.
She
invented the folding cabinet bed as an ingenious method for
conserving space inside cramped living quarters. She designed it in
such a way that when folded, the bed would resemble a cabinet or a
desk, complete with compartments for pens and stationery. And,
speaking of pens...
WILLIAM
PURVIS
William
Purvis was annoyed with having to carry around a bottle of ink at all
times to fill out legal papers or sign contracts. I can't say that I
blamed him one bit...if that ink ever spilled inside your pocket, it
would be near impossible to get those stains out.
So,
in early 1890, Purvis received a patent for a pen that one could
simply fill up with ink every so often, eliminating the need to have
ink on your person at all times. Purvis had invented the very first
fountain pen, and since then has made writing a whole lot easier.
And although there are ball-point, gel, and Sharpies out on the
market today, none of those would have been made possible without the
innovation that Purvis brought to the table.
But
the fountain pen wasn't Purvis' only invention. It's reported that
he also inspired the creation of the stamp pad, bag fastener,
electric railway device, and electric railway switch! Purvis was one
busy beaver!
LLOYD
RAY
Cleaning
has never been made easier thanks to Ray's invention. Prior to
issuing a patent for his dustpan invention, people had to resort to
using other methods to sweep floors and hallways clean. They swept
the dirt outside of the door, or they would use a piece of paper to
pick up the dirt. Sometimes, they would just pick it up by hand,
which was quite a messy experience.
But
on August 3, 1897, Ray's patent was granted, and the first dustpan
was manufactured by attaching a metal collection plate to a wooden
handle.
THOMAS
STEWART
And,
since we're talking about household items designed to keep your home
and workplace neat and tidy, we may as well thank Thomas Stewart for
his invention, which helped save the backs of millions of people.
Prior to his patent being passed, the only way to scrub a messy floor
was to get on your hands and knees and scrub away at the stains by
hand. Stewart thought that this method was ridiculous, and sought to
find a way to make the job easier. So, he attached a cloth to a
stick handle and held it in place with a metal clasp, and made the
job less physically demanding. This invention was the precursor to
the modern day mop.
JOHN
LOVE
You
know those pencil sharpeners that are built into the walls of almost
every elementary school classroom? The ones in which you turned a
crank and it sharpened your pencil? Well, those sharpeners wouldn't
have been created without John Love. He was tired of having to
whittle away the end of a pencil with a knife in order to finish
writing a letter to someone. So, in November 1897, he patented his
crank design pencil sharpener. While the invention of mechanical
pencils ceased the need to use a pencil sharpener somewhat, pencil
sharpeners are still in use today. You have to have something to use
to sharpen your coloured pencils, don't you?
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