BLACK POWER: Top 7 Great African-American Inventors

Several young African inventors are globally championing inventions and are holding their own in their chosen fields of endeavor, making contributions to society in fields as diverse as fashion, education, and health care.

Here, we take a look at the pioneering efforts of seven top African-American inventors whose contributions made the world a better place.

Patricia Bath

Born in Harlem, New York, in 1949, Dr. Patricia Bath is a trained ophthalmologist and inventor of the Laserphaco Probe that she invented in 1986, revolutionizing the surgical treatment of cataracts. Dr. Bath holds the record as the first Black female doctor to receive a medical patent.

Charles Drew

Charles Drew was born in Washington, D.C., in 1904 and was a trained surgeon and researcher. During World War II, he invented the modern “blood bank” storage system that gives blood to those in need in times of emergencies, such as war. Even today, Drew’s invention continues to save a countless number of lives.

Lewis Latimer

Lewis Latimer was born in 1848 to parents who were former slaves. He was a gifted engineer and inventor who collaborated with great inventors, such as Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell, in the development of the filament bulb and the telephone. Latimer also made significant contributions to the development of modern air-conditioning.

Benjamin Banneker

Born in 1731 to parents who were freed slaves, Benjamin Banneker taught himself to become an accomplished astronomer, mathematician, surveyor, author, and inventor.

Banneker is perhaps best-known for creating a fully functioning clock entirely from pieces of wood. The spectacular success of his invention and the attention it received led him to launch his own clock-making business.

Banneker also published six detailed almanacs that included political and social commentary. He would later be appointed by President George Washington to help plan the layout of Washington, D.C.

Garrett Morgan

Garrett Morgan, who was born in 1877, is credited for inventing the traffic light and the gas mask. In 1923, he received a patent from the U.S. government for his design of a traffic signal system.

Morgan also developed a gas mask to help underground mine workers breathe safely. Morgan’s gas mask proved very useful to soldiers and helped many survive chemical warfare during the world wars.

Daniel Hale Williams

Born in 1856, Dr. Daniel Hale Williams apprenticed as a shoe maker in his early childhood. He later worked as a barber before taking up interest in the work of a local physician, studying in what is today known as Northwestern University Medical School and graduating as a physician and surgeon.

Dr. Williams later founded a racially integrated hospital, and in 1893, he became the first person to successfully perform an open-heart surgery.

Thomas Elkins

Born in the 18th century, Thomas Elkins was a pharmacist, abolitionist, and inventor. He had a number of significant inventions credited to his name, including a refrigerator design to preserve perishable food, a folding multi-purpose table for dining, and perhaps (most famously) a chamber commode (water closet toilet).

Elkins received a U.S. patent in 1872 for a chamber commode, which included a mirror, washstand, mirror, and more.