Things that were invented by black people

One hundred black inventions that changed the world for too long the media has ignored the achievements of black inventors making it seem like they weren't as smart or talented in school we learn about things like the light bulb electricity and other important discoveries from inventors like Thomas Edison Nikola Tesla Albert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin but we don't hear about the incredible inventions made by black inventors it's time to change that today we embark on a journey to unearth a legacy that has long been ignored a series that unveils the untold stories of 100 black inventions that changed the world these black inventors whose names have been shrouded in darkness refuse to let their history hold them back their intelligence and resilience propelled them forward defying the barriers of slavery discrimination and racism in this episode we're going to share their stories and tell you about the amazing things they invented that changed our lives before we get right into the video please smash the like button and subscribe to the channel so you can catch all the parts in this series and keep informed of our eye-opening black narrative number 100 three light traffic light the three light traffic signal we see today has greatly improved our safety on the roads but very few people know that the traffic signal was inspired by the invention of a black person the person behind this Brilliant Invention was Garrett Morgan an African-American businessman and inventor he lived in Cleveland Ohio and was the first black person in the city to own a car in 1922 he witnessed an accident between a horse-drawn carriage and a car which inspired him to find a way to prevent such accidents in the future at that time police officers were responsible for directing traffic but it was difficult for drivers to see them and their signals were limited to just stop and go this made it hard for drivers to navigate through traffic so Morgan came up with a new idea he invented a traffic signal that had folding arms with signs that said stop and go the signal would be placed on a post above the road making it easier for drivers to see he also added a third position where the signal could be raised halfway indicating caution this was like the modern yellow signal that we see today to operate the signal a traffic attendant would turn a crank raising the post and showing the appropriate sign if necessary the attendant could stop all Lanes by showing the stop sign Morgan's invention was patented in 1923 and he sold the rights to General Electric for forty thousand dollars number 99 home security system the 1960s were one of the most dangerous times in American history and for a black woman whose husband was always working at odd hours staying alone in her home at night left Marie Van Britton Brown feeling pretty vulnerable unfortunately their neighborhood had a high crime rate and Marie was concerned about the slow response time of the police in response to this Marie came up with the first home security system when she was 40 years old initially their invention consisted of four small Windows a movable camera TV screens and microphones the cameras could move from one window to another these cameras were connected to TV screens inside Marie's home by using the TV screens Marie could see who was at her door without actually having to be there physically or open the door the microphones were also important as they allowed Marie to communicate with the person outside without having to face them directly or open the door Marie Van Britten Brown's invention of the home security system has had a significant impact on the security systems we have today her Innovative idea paved the way for further developments and improvements in security systems that are still used today number 98 folding bed in 1885 African-American inventor Sarah Goode would create one of the most famous inventions designed for maximum comfort her patented folding bed would Inspire the modern day Murphy bed being a furniture store owner she saw a business opportunity and made an audacious move when Sarah Goode heard about the problem of limited space in Chicago apartments she wanted to help she invented a bed that could fold up and be hidden similar to the Murphy bed we know today it was like a cabinet that could turn into a desk with spaces for writing supplies Sarah's goal was to make the bed easy to lift and keep in place when folded and to provide extra support in the middle when unfolded in 1885 Sarah Goode became one of the first African-American women to get a patent for her invention of the folding bed number 97 protective mailbox in October 27 1891 Philip B Downing was granted a patent that changed the mail system forever that patent was for a street letterbox essentially the mailbox we see all around the country where you can post a letter any time of day in the early 1800s U.S citizens posted and received their mail via post office people would need to travel far distances to visit their local post office for their mailing needs so there was a need for a better more convenient solution Downing designed the mailbox that we all recognized today a metal box with four legs this invention changed the need to go to the post office in order to mail a letter it included a hinged door that kept bad weather such as rain and snow from damaging the mail and also a safety feature making the mail secure until it is picked up by postal employees the Downing letterbox patent became the basis of the letterbox we have today Number 96 blood banks it's impossible to determine how many hundreds of thousands of people would have lost their lives without the contributions of African-American inventor Dr Charles Drew this physician researcher and surgeon the understanding of blood plasma leading to the invention of blood banks during World War II there was a great need for blood transfusions due to the large number of casualties but there were challenges in transporting and preserving blood for long periods recognising this problem Drew focused his research on finding a solution he developed a method to store and preserve plasma which is a vital component of blood separately from Whole blood this allowed plasma to be stored for longer periods without losing its life-saving properties he also came up with the idea of blood banking which involves collecting testing and storing blood so it can be used for transfusions when needed Drew's work was a game changer it not only helped save many lives during the war but also paved the way for advancements in blood transfusion techniques his ideas and Innovations laid the foundation for the modern blood banking system that we rely on today number 95 refrigerated trucks in the world of modern transportation and Logistics refrigerated trucks play a vital role in ensuring the safe and efficient delivery of perishable Goods behind this groundbreaking invention stands an extraordinary mind that of Frederick McKinley Jones an African-American inventor whose Innovative Spirit transformed the way we transport and preserve temperature sensitive items in the late 1930s Jones was approached by Joseph A numero an entrepreneur in the cinema industry numero needed a way to transport perishable items like food and medicine without them spoiling during long trips recognizing Jones's skills numero asked for his help Jones took on the challenge and came up with an ingenious solution a portable cooling system that could be added to existing trucks this transformed ordinary trucks into refrigerated Vehicles allowing perishable Goods to be transported over long distances while keeping them fresh Jones's invention had a significant impact on various Industries including food Pharmaceuticals and health care it made global trade Easier by enabling the transportation of perishable Goods to far away markets number 94 automatic elevator doors on the 11th of October 1887 a highly skilled Barber inventor and businessman named Alexander miles received a patent for a technology that would the way we use high-rise buildings forever his invention automatic elevator doors though a seemingly small milestone in the history of Technology his Innovative design made the use of elevators infinitely easier and safer earning him a spot in the National inventors Hall of Fame whatever the reason Alexander had identified just how dangerous the elevators of the 19th century were as they had to be opened manually either by an operator or the passengers themselves people were often at risk of plummeting down the shaft with horrific injury miles's design included a flexible belt attached to the elevator cage with drums positioned on it to indicate if the elevator had reached a floor when this occurred the doors would automatically open and close by means of levers and rollers the influence of his elevator patent is still seen in modern designs in the automatic opening and closing of elevator and Elevator Shaft doors have become a standard feature number 93 Super Soaker summer just wouldn't be the same without Lonnie Johnson's invention Johnson was an aerospace engineer for NASA who happened to invent the popular children's toy in 1982 Air Force and NASA engineer Lonnie Johnson conceived of the idea of a pressurized water gun after shooting a powerful stream of water in his bathroom while performing experiments for a new type of refrigeration system this experimentation which resulted in Johnson shooting a stream of water across his bathroom into the tub led directly to the development of the power drencher the precursor to the Super Soaker number 92 tissue holder Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner along with her sister was a wizard of making your trip to the bathroom as pleasant as possible they both invented a toilet tissue holder in the 1970s which they share a patent on this invention was created with the purpose of eliminating the problem of grasping the free end of a toilet paper roll which happens when the free end of the paper is positioned tightly against the remainder of the Roll this invention helps by always keeping the toilet paper in an accessible position making it more convenient to get a roll of paper right when you need it number 91 peanut butter generally when people think of famous African-American inventors one of the first names that Springs to mind is George Washington Carver perhaps most famously Carver's inventions included the discovery of over 300 different uses for peanuts such as making cooking oil axle grease and Printers Inc Carver was the first African-American student accepted to Iowa State and quickly became a campus leader and excelling in botany and Horticulture after finishing his education George Washington Carver was convinced by Booker T Washington to serve as the Director of Agriculture at the upstart Tuskegee Institute though the job offered very little in terms of pay Carver took the position and ran with it it was there he devised his method of crop rotation through the system crops flourished but a large surplus of peanuts also developed this led George Washington Carver to develop alternate uses for the peanut today everyone and their dog can thank George Washington Carver for the invention of peanut butter number 90 laser fayco imagine living in a world ranging from hazy clouded Vision to that of total darkness for 30 years before 1985 that was the plight of those with cataracts who did not want to risk surgery with a mechanical grinder as a noted ophthalmologist and famous black inventor Dr Patricia bath dedicated her life to the treatment and prevention of visual impairments her personal belief that everyone has the right to cite led to her invention in 1985 of a specialized tool and procedure for the removal of cataracts with the laser facco probe and procedure Dr bath increased the accuracy and results of cataract surgery which had previously been performed manually with a mechanical grinder with the laserfaco probe invention and the development of the procedure for its use Dr bath helped restore the site of several people who had been blinded by cataracts for up to 30 years number 89 automatic gear shift Richard spikes was a well-known inventor whose automatic transmission for the car gears and other Automotive related inventions transformed the transportation industry spikes invented the gear shift to help keep the gears constant for different speeds which also helps people to drive up hills in December 1932 spikes received a patent for an automatic gear shift device based on automatic transmission for automobiles and other Motor Vehicles number 88 dustpan the first dustpan was invented in 1858 by American inventor T McNeil for which he was granted a United States patent however it was Lloyd P Ray's Improvement that gave us the dustpan we all recognise today the African-American inventor made improvements to the dustpan by the addition of a short wooden handle and a collection plate made of metal and this invention was patented in 1897. the addition of a metal plate and a short wooden handle allowed sweepers to collect trash without getting their hands dirty due to the convenience it provided Rey's invention quickly became a household staple number 87 gold tea golf was totally a different sport before Dr George Grant came along prior to the invention of the wooden tee at the turn of the 19th century golfers made teas out of sand courses would Supply each hole with a box of wet sand from which the golfer would fashion a raised Mound using either his hands or a cone-shaped mold in 1899 Boston dentist Dr George Grant frustrated with this tedious and messy process invented a wooden golf tee however it wasn't until William Lowell another dentist invented the ready tea in the early 1920s that using a wooden tee became common practice number 86 lawn sprinkler African-American inventor Joseph H Smith improved upon the lawn sprinkler by patenting the first rotary head lawn sprinkler in 1897 that sprayed water in two directions in 1898 he was granted a second patent for modifications and improvements to his original design his invention eliminated the need to drag a hose over the lawn and reposition it periodically to ensure a relatively even watering of the lawn number 85 modern toilet thanks to Thomas Elkins your bathroom brakes are as comfortable as ever while Elkins didn't outright invent the modern toilet his improvements to the chamber commode would Inspire the mechanics of the modern toilet his patented design came with several amenities including a bureau mirror Book Rack wash stand table easy chair and Earth closet or chamber stool over the years the toilet would go through several modifications to become the porcelain Throne it is today number 84 ringing mop in 1893 Thomas W Stewart would devise an invention that would make cleaning less of a back-breaking labor the ringing mop we know today was inspired by his invention which provided a way to care for the slate stone or marble floors that were a feature of the homes of the aristocracy and later the middle classes thanks to his invention of a clamping device that could ring water out of the mop by using a lever floor cleaning was not nearly the chore it once was number 83 reversible stroller modern day reversible strollers and baby carriages are the work of African-American inventor w.h Richardson although the first baby carriage was invented in 1733 by William Kent for the Duke of Devonshire its lavish design made it harder for everyday individuals to have access to them however Richardson patented a new type of baby carriage on June 18 1889 that was more efficient and affordable the design featured wheels that could turn 360 degrees in a smaller turning radius the bassinet was also designed so it could face out or in towards the parent over a century later his invention is still a popular choice among parents number 82 biscuit cutter by 1863 AP Ashbourne worked as a caterer having a master respected following in Pennsylvania he catered weddings and buffets of the wealthy Elite in Philadelphia and was selected as one of a handful of local Caterers for the 1863 emancipation celebration held in the city while attending this event Ashbourne noticed that the biscuits were simply hand padded and lacked any real form he began a decade-long process to create a device a spring-loaded biscuit cutter that would guarantee a uniform shape and size his patented cutter had a board to load and unload biscuits easily at the time his invention brought convenience and accuracy to the flower-based food product number 81 airplane propelling while the Wright brothers designed and constructed the world's first practical fixed pitch propeller it was black inventors among many others that would improve the mechanics to be what it is today in 1920 African-American inventor James Sloan Adams was granted a patent for a new and improved propelling means for airplanes which utilized the stored up energy of a spring to the fullest Advantage for driving the airplane forward this rounds up the part one of our series on the 100 black inventions that changed the world from lawn sprinklers home security systems to traffic light signals black individuals.