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This list of African-American inventors and scientists documents many of the African-Americans who have invented a multitude of items or made discoveries in the course of their lives. These have ranged from practical everyday devices to applications and scientific discoveries in diverse fields, including physics, biology, math, and medicine.
In 2019, the National Society of Black Physicists honored Parker as an "African American inventor famous for her patented system of central heating using natural gas." It called her invention a "revolutionary idea" for the 1920s, "that conserved energy and paved the way for the central heating systems". [ 6 ]
Richard Bowie Spikes (October 2, 1878 – January 22, 1963) was an African-American inventor who held several United States patents. He is credited with developing and improving inventions such as a beer tap, a modification of an automatic gear shift mechanism for motor vehicles, and a safety braking system for trucks and buses.
Granville Tailer Woods (April 23, 1856 – January 30, 1910) was an American inventor who held more than 50 patents in the United States. [1] He was the first African American mechanical and electrical engineer after the Civil War. [2] Self-taught, he concentrated most of his work on trains and streetcars.
Alexander Miles (May 18, 1838 – May 7, 1918) was an African American inventor and businessman, known for being awarded a patent for automatically opening and closing elevator doors. He was awarded U.S. patent 371,207 on October 11, 1887.
William B. Purvis (12 August 1838 – 10 August 1914) [1] was an African-American inventor and businessman who received multiple patents in the late 19th-century. His inventions included improvements on paper bags, an updated fountain pen design, improvement to the hand stamp, and a close-conduit electric railway system.
Thomas L. Jennings (c. 1791 – February 12, 1859) was an African-American inventor, tradesman, entrepreneur, and abolitionist in New York City, New York.He has the distinction of being the first African-American patent-holder in history; he was granted the patent in 1821 for his novel method of dry cleaning. [1]
Elijah J. McCoy (May 2, 1844 [A] – October 10, 1929) was a Canadian-American engineer of African-American descent who invented lubrication systems for steam engines. Born free on the Ontario shore of Lake Erie to parents who fled enslavement in Kentucky , he traveled to the United States as a young child when his family returned in 1847 ...