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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.
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]
Richard Bowie Spikes (October 2, 1878 – January 22, 1963) was an African-American inventor.The holder of a number of United States patents, his improvements on existing inventions include a beer tap, automobile directional signals, an automatic gear shift device based on automatic transmission for automobiles and other motor vehicles and a safety braking system for trucks and buses.
W. E. B. Du Bois's exhibit featuring Sarah's patent and other African American inventors. It’s unclear if Sarah worked on more inventions following her folding bed. However, her husband Archie’s invention of an automatic garbage box was praised by the Chicago Civic Federation and published in a local newspaper in 1895. [34]
Thomas Elkins (1818 – August 10, 1900) [1] was an African-American dentist, abolitionist, surgeon, pharmacist, and inventor. He lived in Albany, New York, for most of his life, but travelled during his service as the medical examiner of the 54th and 55th Massachusetts infantries and visited Liberia. Notable inventions include patented ...
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 ...
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.
Philip B. Downing (1857-1934) was an African American inventor from Providence, Rhode Island. He is known for his most significant invention, the operating street railway switch. This allowed the switches to be opened or closed by using a brass arm located next to the brake handle on the platform of the car.