Black history month: Ten African American Scientists and Inventors
Black History Month: Ten African American Scientists and Inventors
Madam C.J. Walker
Quick Facts
- NAME: Madam C.J. Walker
- OCCUPATION: Civil Rights Activist, Entrepreneur
- BIRTH DATE: December 23, 1867
- DEATH DATE: May 25, 1919
- Did You Know?: Madam C.J. Walker was the first American woman to become a self-made millionaire.
- Did You Know?: In 1913, Madam C.J. Walker donated the largest amount of money by an African American toward the construction of an Indianapolis YMCA.
- Did You Know?: Also a civil rights activist, in 1917, Madam C.J. Walker was part of a delegation that traveled to the White House to petition President Woodrow Wilson to make lynching a federal crime.
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Near Delta, Louisiana
- PLACE OF DEATH: Irvington-on-Hudson, New York
- Originally: Sarah Breedlove
- AKA: Madam C.J. Walker
- AKA: Madame C.J. Walker
Madam C.J. Walker, born Sarah Breedlove, created specialized hair products for African-American hair and was the first American woman to become a millionaire through her own business.
SOURCE (provides more information).
-----------------------------------Benjamin Bradley
Benjamin Bradley was born a slave in Maryland around 1830. At the time, it was against the law to teach a slave to read or write. Bradley was able to learn anyway, perhaps taught by his master's children. Young Bradley was also good at mathematics and showed a natural talent for making things.
As a teenager Bradley was put to work in a printing office. At the age of 16, he built a working steam engine from pieces of scrap metal. Others were so impressed with Bradley's mechanical skills that he was given a job that made better use of his talents. His new job was as an assistant in the science department at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. There, Bradley set up and helped conduct experiments. Professors at the Naval Academy were impressed with Bradley. They said he was smart and a quick learner, and he did not make mistakes when he prepared experiments in the laboratory. Bradley was paid for his work, but because he was a slave, the money went to his master. The master allowed Bradley to keep a small amount-five dollars a month-for himself.
Bradley had not forgotten his work with steam engines. He wanted to build a larger one. He saved the money he earned and sold his original model engine to a student at the academy to get extra money. Bradley used his savings to develop and build an engine large enough to run the first steam-powered warship.
Because he was a slave, Benjamin Bradley was not allowed to get a patent for the engine he developed. He was, however, able to sell the engine and keep the money. He used that money to buy his freedom. He lived the rest of his life as a free person.
SOURCE.
(More links here and here.)
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Lewis Howard Latimer
Synopsis
Lewis Howard Latimer was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, on September 4, 1848, to parents who had fled slavery. Latimer learned the art of mechanical drawing while working at a patent firm. Over the course of his career as a draftsman, Latimer worked closely with Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell, in addition to designing his own inventions. He died in Flushing, Queens, New York, on December 11, 1928.
Early Life and Family
Inventor and engineer Lewis Howard Latimer was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, on September 4, 1848. Latimer was the youngest of four children born to George and Rebecca Latimer, who had escaped from slavery in Virginia six years before his birth. Captured in Boston and brought to trial as a fugitive, George Latimer was defended by abolitionists Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison. He was eventually able to purchase his freedom, with the help of a local minister, and began raising a family with Rebecca in nearby Chelsea. George disappeared shortly after the Dred Scottdecision in 1857, possibly fearing a return to slavery and the South.
Helping to Patent the Telephone & Light Bulb
After his father's departure, Lewis Latimer worked to help support his mother and family. In 1864, at the age of 16, Latimer lied about his age in order to enlist in the United States Navy during the Civil War. Returning to Boston after an honorable discharge, he accepted a menial position at the Crosby and Gould patent law office. He taught himself mechanical drawing and drafting by observing the work of draftsmen at the firm. Recognizing Latimer's talent and promise, the firm partners promoted him from office boy to draftsman. In addition to assisting others, Latimer designed a number of his own inventions, including an improved railroad car bathroom and an early air conditioning unit.
Latimer's talents were well-matched to the post-Civil War period, which saw a large number of scientific and engineering breakthroughs. Latimer was directly involved with one of these inventions: the telephone. Working with Alexander Graham Bell, Latimer helped draft the patent for Bell's design of the telephone. He was also involved in the field of incandescet lighting, a particularly competitive field, working for Hiram Maxim and Thomas Edison.
Latimer's deep knowledge of both patents and electrical engineering made Latimer an indispensible partner to Edison as he promoted and defended his light bulb design. In 1890, Latimer published a book entitled Incandescent Electric Lighting: A Practical Description of the Edison System. He continued to work as a patent consultant until 1922.
SOURCE (contains further information).
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George Edward Alcorn Jr.
Physicist George Edward Alcorn, Jr. is best known for his development of the imaging x-ray spectrometer. Born on March 22, 1940 to working class parents, Alcorn was an excellent student and star athlete. He was awarded an academic scholarship to Occidental College in Pasadena, California, where he completed his B.A. in Physics in 1962. From there, Alcorn pursued graduate studies at Howard University in Washington, D.C. He earned his master’s degree in nuclear physics in 1963, and his Ph.D. in atomic and molecular physics in 1967.
While a student Alcorn worked as a research engineer for North American Rockwell’s Space Division. There he conducted computer analysis of launch trajectories and orbital mechanics for missiles produced by the company, such as the Titan I and II, Saturn IV, and Nova. After completing his doctoral degree he worked as a senior scientist with Philco-Ford, then with Perkin-Elmer, and later with IBM. In 1978, he joined NASA.
At NASA Alcorn developed the imaging x-ray spectrometer. An x-ray spectrometer assists scientists in identifying a material by producing an x-ray spectrum of it, allowing it to be examined visually. This is especially advantageous when the material is not able to be broken down physically. Alcorn patented his “method for fabricating an imaging x-ray spectrometer” in 1984. He was cited for his method’s innovative use of the thermomigration of aluminum. For this achievement he was recognized with the NASA/GSFC (Goddard Space Flight Center) Inventor of the Year Award.
Alcorn is credited with more than 20 inventions, and holds at least eight U.S. and international patents, many of these related to the semiconductor industry. For instance, he developed an improved method of fabrication employing laser drilling, and a process for improving the process of plasma etching. At NASA Alcorn has served as deputy project manager for advanced development, responsible for developing new technologies for the space station “Freedom,” as well as the GSFC Evolution Program, which evaluates and plans the space station’s continued development. Since 1992, he has served as chief of Goddard's Office of Commercial Programs and continues to hold this position as of this writing. Here he oversees technology transfer, small business innovation research, and commercial use of space programs.
In addition to his work with NASA, Alcorn is heavily involved with academics and with community service. In 1973, he was invited to be IBM Visiting Professor in Electrical Engineering at Howard University. He accepted, and has held positions at Howard ever since, eventually rising to the rank of full professor. He is also a professor in the engineering department at the University of the District of Columbia. He continues to contribute to efforts in recruiting women and minority scientists and engineers, and founded the Saturday Academy, a weekend honors math and science training program for inner-city middle school students. He also works with the Meyerhoff Foundation, which encourages African American males interested in pursuing doctorates in science and engineering.
SOURCE.
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Patricia Bath
Born in Harlem, New York, on November 4, 1942, Patricia Bath became the first African American to complete a residency in ophthalmology in 1973. Two years later, she became the first female faculty member in the Department of Ophthalmology at UCLA's Jules Stein Eye Institute. In 1976, Bath co-founded the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness, which established that "eyesight is a basic human right." In 1986, Bath invented the Laserphaco Probe, improving treatment for cataract patients. She patented the device in 1988, becoming the first African-American female doctor to receive a medical patent.
SOURCE (has more information).
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Granville T. Woods
Synopsis
Granville T. Woods was born in Columbus, Ohio, on April 23, 1856, to free African-Americans. He held various engineering and industrial jobs before establishing a company to develop electrical apparatus. Known as "Black Edison," he registered nearly 60 patents in his lifetime, including a telephone transmitter, a trolley wheel and the multiplex telegraph (over which he defeated a lawsuit by Thomas Edison). Woods died in 1910.
Induction Telegraph
Woods's most important invention was the multiplex telegraph, also known as the "induction telegraph," or block system, in 1887. The device allowed men to communicate by voice over telegraph wires, ultimately helping to speed up important communications and, subsequently, preventing crucial errors such as train accidents. Woods defeated Thomas Edison's lawsuit that challenged his patent, and turned down Edison's offer to make him a partner. Thereafter, Woods was often known as "Black Edison." After receiving the patent for the multiplex telegraph, Woods reorganized his Cincinnati company as the Woods Electric Co. In 1890, he moved his own research operations to New York City, where he was joined by a brother, Lyates Woods, who also had several inventions of his own.
SOURCE (has more information).
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Elijah McCoy
Synopsis
Elijah McCoy was born on May 2, 1844, in Colchester, Ontario, Canada, to parents who had fled slavery. McCoy trained as an engineer in Scotland as a teenager. Unable to find an engineering position in the United States, he took a job working for a railroad and subsequently invented a lubrication device to make railroad operation more efficient. McCoy died in Detroit, Michigan, on October 10, 1929.
SOURCE (has more information).
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Daniel Hale Williams
Synopsis
Born on January 18, 1856, in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, Daniel Hale Williams pursued a pioneering career in medicine. An African-American doctor, in 1893, Williams opened Provident Hospital, the first medical facility to have an interracial staff. He was also the first physician to successfully complete open-heart surgery on a patient. Williams later became chief surgeon of the Freedmen’s Hospital.
SOURCE (has more information).
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Mae C. Jemison
Synopsis
Mae C. Jemison was born on October 17, 1956, in Decatur, Alabama. On June 4, 1987, she became the first African-American woman to be admitted into the astronaut training program. On September 12, 1992, Jemison finally flew into space with six other astronauts aboard the Endeavour on mission STS47, becoming the first African-American woman in space. In recognition of her accomplishments, Jemison has received several awards and honorary doctorates.
SOURCE (has more information).
(Another source of information is here: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/jemison-mc.html)
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Ernest Everett Just
Synopsis
Born on August 14, 1883, in Charleston, South Carolina, Earnest Everett Just was an African-American biologist and educator who pioneered many areas on the physiology of development, including fertilization, experimental parthenogenesis, hydration, cell division, dehydration in living cells and ultraviolet carcinogenic radiation effects on cells. Just's legacy of accomplishments followed him long after his death, on October 27, 1941.
SOURCE (has more information).
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Links to additional sources:
-The Black Inventor Online Museum: http://blackinventor.com/
-Famous Black Inventors A to Z - Biography.com: http://www.biography.com/people/groups/famous-black-inventors/all?view=gallery&sort=last-name&page=1#b
-Black History Now: http://blackhistorynow.com/
-Examiner.com Black Scientists and Inventors: http://www.examiner.com/article/black-scientists-and-inventors
(OP: Post was not edited -I tried to reinsert a pic which was deleted but lj hates me, apparently.)