December 11, 1928 Lewis Howard Latimer, inventor and draftsman, died. Latimer was born September 4, 1848 in Chelsea, Massachusetts. He joined the United States Navy at the age of 15 and after receiving an honorable discharge joined a patent law firm as a draftsman at the age of 17. On February 10, 1874, Latimer shared […]
Tag Archives | inventor
December 7th in African American History – Marjorie Stewart Joyner
December 7, 1994 Marjorie Stewart Joyner, inventor and entrepreneur, died. Joyner was born October 24, 1896 in Monterey, Virginia. In 1916, she became the first African American to graduate from A. B. Molar Beauty School in Chicago. After graduating, she went to work for Madam C. J. Walker, overseeing 200 of her schools as the […]
November 20th in African American History – Garrett Augustus Morgan, Sr.
November 20, 1923 Garrett Augustus Morgan, Sr. received patent number 1,475,024 for his version of the traffic signal. Morgan was born March 4, 1877 in Paris, Kentucky. In 1895, he moved to Cleveland, Ohio where he worked repairing sewing machines for a clothing manufacturer. In 1907, he opened his own sewing machine and shoe repair […]
February 2nd in African American History – Marie Van Brittan Brown
February 2, 1999 Marie Van Brittan Brown, inventor of a closed circuit television security system, died. Brown was born October 30, 1922 in Queens, New York. On December 2, 1969 she received patent number 3,482,037 for a Closed Circuit Television Security System. The system used a motorized camera which slid up and down looking through […]
October 6th in African American History – Lonnie George Johnson
October 6, 1949 Lonnie George Johnson, inventor of the Super Soaker, was born in Mobile, Alabama. Johnson earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1973 and a Master of Science in Nuclear Engineering in 1976 from Tuskegee University. After graduating, he worked for the United States Air Force and the National Aeronautics and […]
Lewis Howard Latimer – September 4th in African American History
September 4, 1848 Lewis Howard Latimer, inventor and draftsman, was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts. Latimer joined the U. S. Navy at the age of 15 and after receiving an honorable discharge joined a patent law firm as a draftsman at the age of 17. In 1874, Latimer co-patented an improved toilet system for railroad cars […]