fifteen untold black history inventors wasn't taught at schools most people have heard about
famous inventions like the light bulb the cotton gin and the penicillin but did you know that many
of the products we use every day were created by black people here's a list of 15 of them
that until now you probably didn't know about Frederick McKinley Jones if your refrigerator
has any produce from your local grocery store then you can credit African American inventor
Frederick McKinley Jones Jones took out more than 60 patents throughout his life including a patent
for the roof-mounted cooling system that's used to refrigerate goods on trucks during extended
transportation in the mid 1930s he received a patent for his invention in 1940 and co-founded
the u.s. thermal control company later known as thermo King the company was critical during
World War two helping to preserve blood food and supplies during the war dr. Shirley Jackson
dr. Shirley Jackson as an American physicist who received her PhD from the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology in 1973 she was the first African American woman to earn a doctorate in nuclear
physics at MIT in addition to her lengthy list of academic achievements she also has an
impressive number of inventions under her belt her experiments with theoretical physics paved the way
for numerous developments in the telecommunication space including the touch-tone telephone the
portable fax caller ID call waiting and the fiber optic cable today dr. Shirley Jackson as the 18th
president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy New York Lewis Latimer inventor and engineer
Lewis Latimer was born in Chelsea Massachusetts on September 4th 18 forty-eight he collaborated with
science greats Hiram Maxim and Thomas Edison one of lattimer's greatest inventions was the carbon
filament a vital component of the light bulb his inventions didn't stop there working with
Alexander Graham Bell Lattimer helped draft the patent for Bell's design of the telephone
this genius also designed an improved railroad car bathroom in an early air-conditioning unit
so the next time you're escaping a hot day inside your cool house don't forget to thank
Lewis Latimer Marie van Britton Brown did you know that the first home security system was invented
by a black nurse meet Marie van Britton Brown although she was a full-time nurse she recognized
the security threats to her home and devised a system that would alert her of strangers at her
door and contact relevant authorities as quickly as possible her original invention consisted of
peep holes a camera monitors and a two-way microphone the finishing touch was an alarm
button that when pressed would immediately contact the police her patent laid the groundwork for the
modern closed-circuit television system that is widely used for surveillance home security systems
push-button alarm triggers crime prevention and traffic monitoring Otis Boykin Otis Boykins
most notable contribution to science was likely the circuit improvements he made to pacemakers
after losing his mother to heart failure a contribution that has saved countless life
sins but this single improvement was among a long list of achievements Boykin had 26 patents in his
name and his fame for the development of IBM computers burglar-proof cash register Chemical
air filters and an electronic resistor used in controlled missiles and other devices Lonnie G
Johnson did you ever enjoy water gun fights as a kid well meet Lonnie Johnson the man
that gave us the most famous water gun the super soaker lonnie was in the Toymaker he actually an
aerospace engineer for NASA with a resume boasting a stint with the US Air Force work on the Galileo
Jupiter probe and Mars Observer project and more than 40 patents yes he is also working
on the Johnson thermoelectric energy converter JT EC which converts heat directly into electricity
but it's the squirt gun he created that has given us all the most joy Charles drew every two seconds
someone in the US needs blood thanks to Charles drew that blood is available drew was a physician
surgeon and medical researcher who worked with a team at Red Cross on groundbreaking discoveries
around blood transfusions in World War two he played a major role in developing the first
large-scale blood banks and blood plasma programs he also invented the and get ready because this
name is pretty charming blood Mobile's these are the refrigerated trucks that to this day
safely transport stored blood to the location where it is needed most drew was one of the most
prominent doctors working in his field and one of the only African Americans during a time when
blood donation was still separated along lines of race drew eventually resigned from his position
with the American Red Cross over their insistence on adhering to this policy it was 1950 before the
Red Cross finally recognized all blood as being equal Marian our crop' in 2013 Marian croak was
inducted into women in technology internationals Hall of Fame a move that recognizes her remarkable
achievements in tech croak holds over 135 patents primarily in voice over Internet Protocol voice
some in other areas she has another 100 patents currently under review today Marian as an SVP at
AT&T serves as a mentor for women in AT&T Labs and sits on the board for the Holocaust genocide and
human rights Education Center Lisa Jo laughter if you ever enjoyed an animated gif on the web
like this one amazing of a kitten being scared by an iguana then you have Lisa jalandhar to
thank jalander was integrally involved with the advent of shock wave a technology that formed
the beginning of web animation she also played a major role in the emergency of online video later
serving on the senior management team at Hulu previously Lisa was the interim head of digital
for bet networks and ran technology product and business operations today you can catch Lisa at
the White House in the United States digital service she is currently serving as the chief
digital service officer with the US Department of Education Philip M Iguala due to cost Phillip
Emig wali was forced to drop out of school at age fourteen but this didn't stop him from becoming
one of the greatest computer pioneers of our time in fact he's often called the bill gates
of Africa as an adult a Maguire began studying nature specifically bees the construction of the
honeycombed inspired him to rethink computer processing in 1989 he put this idea to work
using 65,000 processes to invent the world's first supercomputer able to perform 3.1 billion
calculations per second jesse ernest wilkins jr jesse ernest wilkins jr. as one of America's
most important contemporary mathematicians at 13 he became the University of Chicago's youngest
student Wilkins continued his studies there earning bachelor master and eventually earning
his doctorate degree in mathematics at the age of 19 he's published papers in mathematics optics and
nuclear engineering as a mathematician for the American optical company in Buffalo New York
he perfected lens design for microscopes and off the logic uses his greatest contribution
to scholarship was the development of mathematical models to explain gamma radiation and his work on
developing a shielding against gamma radiation his other claim to fame came from working on
Manhattan Project at the Manhattan Project Wilkins worked with future Nobel laureate
Eugene Wigner and made significant contributions to nuclear reactor physics now known as the
Wilkins effect and the Wigner Wilkins spectrum Elijah McCoy often regarded as one of the most
famous black inventors ever McCoy was credited for 50 inventions over the span of his career
in an effort to improve efficiency and eliminate the frequent stopping necessary for lubrication
of trains McCoy devised a method of automating the task in 1872 he developed a lubricating cup
that could automatically drip oil when and where needed vital in avoiding sticking to
the track the lubricating cup met with enormous success and orders for it came in from railroad
companies all over the country it was so popular that when other inventors attempted to steal his
idea and sell their own versions of the device companies were not fooled they insisted on the
authentic device calling it the real McCoy Garrett Morgan those who survived either of the world wars
thanks to a gas mask have Garrett Morgan to thank Morgan first created the safety hood to
help firefighters navigate smoky buildings later modifying it to carry its own air supply making
it the world's first effective gas masks he also had the good sense to add a third physician to
the traffic signal yes there was a time when traffic signals just said indicated stop or
go an addition that further reduced automobile accidents Mary and Mildred Davidson Mary and her
sister Mildred patented many practical inventions they didn't have technical education but they were
both exceptional at spotting ways to make people's lives better together they invented the sanitary
belt later Mary invented the moisture-resistant pocket for the belt while disabled from multiple sclerosis Mary went on to invent a walker and toilet tissue holder.