These Revolutionary Inventions Were Created By African Americans
When encountering some of these specific things, you probably never realized they were created by African American inventors.
In honor of Black History Month, we will take you down the paths in History, show you who invented what, and even shatter some myths.
George Washington Carver
People always credit George Washington Carver with creating peanut butter, but that is actually NOT TRUE. According to HowStuffWorks, Carver actually was pushing farmers to alternate the growth of cotton with legumes, which would help the quality of their soil. Though the farmers were down to do that, they didn’t think they’d be able to sell all those peanuts, so Carver found multiple uses for using peanuts, including soap, coffee, ink, and more. Peanut Butter though? Sadly not his idea.
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George Crum
Talk about a happy accident. According to HowStuffWorks, George Crum was responsible for creating potato chips after a patron was frustrated with some soggy fries that weren’t salty enough. He allegedly chopped them thin, made them crisp as possible, and put tons of salt on it, TO SPITE THE CUSTOMER. It ended up being a hit. Once he opened his own restaurant in 1860, every person’s dish came with chips.
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Elijah McCoy
AKA “The Real McCoy,” Elijah McCoy escaped slavery via the Underground Railroad and ended up traveling to Scotland for schooling. MIT hails him as a “master mechanic and engineer,” but of course, the freedom of America wasn’t so free. He couldn’t find a gig, until he landed a job with Michigan Central Railroad. The gig, which he was severely over-qualified for, was to lubricate the trains by oiling moving parts BY HAND. He ended up inventing an automatic oil cup that would lube the train up while the train was in motion, which meant less stops, less money, and improving safety, according to Biography.com.
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Daniel Hale Williams
Did you know that the first man to do Open-Heart Surgery was an African American doctor? Daniel Hale Williams, who started off as an apprentice, entered what is now called Northwestern University Medical School, and became a Physician. He established the Provident Hospital and Training School Association, according to BlackInventor.com, and trained doctors and nurses of all races. Open-heart Surgery came in 1983 on a man who was stabbed in the chest with a knife, and Williams ended up opening his chest and operating internally. He repaired the man, and 51 days later, the stabbing victim was able to leave the hospital.
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