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Frederick McKinley Jones. Photo by USDAgov.

15 Famous African American Inventors That Rocked the World

African American inventors have greatly influenced the changing world to make everyday life easier. Over the years, the need to solve problems has necessitated the urge to invent new ideas and create ways to make work and life bearable. In history, African American innovators have gone a long mile to think of ideas, create the idea and pioneer the work to come up with working solutions. Some of the greatest African Americans were born into slavery but managed to discover some of the sensational work that changed the lives of many over the years. Walk with us through the paragraphs below and discover fifteen famous African American inventors that rocked the world.

1. Granville T. Woods

Granville T. Woods. Photo by Eddowes Brothers.

Granville T. Woods was an African America inventor who lived between 23^rd April 1856 to 30^th January 1910. He is recorded as the first African American electrical and mechanical engineer after the civil war. He is recognized for one of his outstanding works of innovating a device he referred to as the Synchronous Multiplex Railway Telegraph. This was an induction telegraph system that enabled trains to communicate with each and as well as allow the dispatchers to locate them. His invention also led to the modification of and engineering of the first electricity–powered railway. During his lifetime, Woods accumulated about sixty patents that helped improve the functioning of railroads.

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2. Frederick McKinley Jones

Frederick McKinley Jones. Photo by USDAgov.

Frederick McKinley Jones was an American inventor, engineer, and entrepreneur who was born on the 17^th of May 1893 and passed away on the 21^st of February 1961. He is celebrated for his exceptional work of innovating mobile refrigeration technology which facilitated the transportation of perishable goods. He however began by inventing automatic refrigerated air-cooling units that were used in tracks, planes, ships, and trains which played a vital role in the preservation of food. Further to the preservation of food, his invention contributed significantly to the preservation of medicine and blood which was useful during World War II. He was awarded the National Medal of Technology in 1991 for his magnificent input and work.

3. George Crum

George Crum also known as George Speck was an American chef who lived between 15^th July 1824 and 22^nd July 1914. He became populously known for his potato chips in New York. In 1953, he is claimed to have unintentionally made potato chips during summer. He is said to have made the chips in response to a customer who complained about their potatoes being too thick.  However, Crum did not patent the creation and currently, chips are one of the world’s most favorite snacks.

4. Garrett Morgan

Garrett Morgan. Auther is unknown.

Garrett Morgan was an American inventor, community leader, and businessman who lived between the 4^th of March 1877 and the 27^th of July 1963. He became known globally for his sensational work of innovating traffic signals and a smoke hood. In 1922, he patented the invention of the traffic signal which has saved the lives of thousands, and was the first to offer a third “caution” which is currently known as yellow lights. He also received a patent for his ”Breathing Device” which was an early invention of a gas mask.

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5. George Washington Carver

George Washington Carver. Author is unknown.

George Washington Carver was an American inventor and agricultural scientist who lived between 1864 and 1943. He is recognized for his fascinating work that promoted alternative crops to cotton and developed methods that prevented soil depletion. He is also famous for his invention and contribution to increasing the profitability of peanuts and sweet potatoes. He was an agricultural chemist whose efforts in conducting experiments discovered five hundred and eighteen new products. Some of his products included vinegar, cosmetics, synthetic rubber, soap, and ink among other products from crops.

6. Madam C.J. Walker

Madam C.J. Walker was an African American philanthropist, entrepreneur, and social and political activist who lived between 1867 and 1919. She is recognized as the first self-made millionaire in America which is recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records. However, she is also famous for the invention of a line of hair products that gravitated toward black hair. She established her first Madam Walker’s Wonderful Hair Grower back in 1905. She remained to be rich and at the time of her death, she was considered the wealthiest African – American in America.

7. Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner

Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner was an African American inventor, famous for the invention of sanitary pads. She was born on the 17^th of May 1912 and passed away on the 13^th of January 2006. However, her contribution to society is said to be one of the most forgotten. She patented the sanitary belt in 1957 which was a very adjustable and moisture-proof napkin during a time when women were using cloth pads for their periods. Among her other inventions were a walking frame, a back washer that was mounted on the wall of the shower, and a toilet tissue holder.

8. Alexander Miles

Alexander Miles. Author is unknown.

Born on the 18^th of May 1838, Alexander Miles was an American inventor famously known for his invention of automatically opening and closing elevator doors. He realized the constant hazard that caused people to frequently pose while he was with his daughter riding on the elevator with the shaft door open. Before then, elevators were manually operated and this called for frequent opening and closing of elevator and shaft doors every time. He obtained the patent for his outstanding invention in 1887. He died on 7^th May 1918 and was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2007.

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9. Percy Lavon Julian

Percy Lavon Julian was one of the most famous African American inventors that rocked the work wild his outstanding work in the chemical synthesis of medicinal drugs made from plants. He lived between 1899 and 1975 and was acknowledged as the first scientist to synthesize a drug called physostigmine that is currently used to treat glaucoma. He contributed significantly to modern medicine while he was experimenting with soybeans. He also celebrated for discovering how to produce mass cortisone and steroid progesterone used to produce sexual hormones.

10. Mark Dean

Photo by Edward A. Hubbard.

Mark Dean is an African American computer engineer and inventor born on the 2^nd of March 1957. He is the co-creator of the IBM personal computer which was released in 1981. This led to him being named the first IBM Fellow. He is also the man behind PC color monitors and other technologies that enable keyboards, mice, and printers to communicate with computers.

11. Marie Van Brittan Brown

Marie Van Brittan Brown is the brain behind the video home security system. She was an African American nurse and innovator born on the 30^th of October 1922 and died on the 2^nd of February 1999. She made her original design which contained a camera, monitor, peepholes, and two–way microphone which served as a foundation for today’s modern system.  She aimed at increasing the security of her home in Queens, New York neighborhood.

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12. Shirley Jackson

Shirley Jackson. Photo by Qilai Shen.

Shirley Jackson is the bright brains behind monumental telecommunication research. She is one of the most famous African American inventors for her exceptional research that led to the invention of products such as caller ID, portable fax, fiber optical cables, and the touch-tone phone. Due to her outstanding research, she was named by President Barack Obama as Co-chair of the President’s Intelligence Advisory.

13. Lisa Gelobter

Lisa Gelobter is an African American computer scientist and technologist born in 1971. She is one of the famous inventors for her involvement in the 1995 creation of shockwave. This sensational technology led to the development of web animation. She has managed to invent several products from her work as a software engineer that have been used by millions of people globally.

14. Lewis Howard Latimer

Mr. and Mrs. Lewis H. Latimer. Author is unkwown.

Lewis Howard Latimer was an African American famous inventor who lived between 1848 and 1928. In his lifetime, he managed to invent several things, and among his outstanding inventions was the light bulb which he worked together with Thomas Edison. He designed an evaporative air conditioner, improved toilet system for railroad cars as well as facilitated the process improvement of manufacturing carbon filaments. His discovery led to revolutionizing the distribution of lights to businesses, homes, and street lamps.

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15. Lonnie G. Johnson

Lonnie G. Johnson. Photo by Office of Naval Research.

Lonnie G. Johnson is an African American inventor, entrepreneur, and aerospace engineer born on the 6^th of October 1949. He is famous for his outstanding invention of the super soaker water gun which is one of the best-selling toys in the world in 1989. He invented the gun while working at NASA. He also contributed significantly to the Galileo Jupiter probe and the Mars Observer project while he worked in the U.S. Air Force.