Most Americans living today have heard of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Alva Edison, Alexander Graham Bell and Albert Einstein.

But how many have heard of Benjamin Banneker, Louis Latimer, Garrett Morgan, Elijah Mc Coy, or George Washington Carver?

As strange as it may seem, even today comparatively few persons in White America and even more sadder even fewer in Black America have heard of these famous Americans. Yet they have invented things and improved scientific discoveries that we benefit from every day, every time they look at a grandfather clock, pick up a telephone, cross or stop at a traffic light, operate a machine or even open a jar of peanut butter.

Of course, these are just but a few of many Black inventors, not to mention such notables as Granville T. Woods, Norbert Rillieux, Jan Matzeliger and Ernest Just.

It has only been in relatively recent decades that the accomplishments of these famous African American inventors have come to light, hidden for many years by certain racist Whites who have refused to acknowledge the many positive accomplishments of Blacks in this country, much to their chagrin and embarrassment. Let’s take a look individually how these previously-cited inventors and scientists have contributed much to the American Experience.

Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806)- Benjamin Banneker was a self-taught scientist, astronomer, inventor, writer and anti-Slavery advocate, who constructed the first clock in America entirely from wood. He also published a Farmer’s Almanac which is still in use till this day. He was also a brilliant architect who had a ‘blueprint’ of Washington DC ‘written’ literally in his head which he constructed entirely from memory. He was the first African American scientist of note in America.

Louis Latimer (1844-1928)- The invention of the telephone has often been solely attributed to Alexander Graham Bell. But what is not commonly known is that he had some help in the person of Louis Howard Latimer. Latimer was Bell’s draftsman who drew and patented the telephone , who literally spent long hours during the nights with Bell in constructing the concept of the phone. Bell subsequently rushed the patent application to the patent company way ahead of his competition and won the patent rights-with the help of Louis Latimer. We have Louis Latimer to thank for the concept and construction of the phone.

Garrett Morgan (1877- 1963)-Today we take for granted the traffic light; we see them everywhere. But what most people do not know about the traffic light is that it was invented by a Black man- Garrett Augustus Morgan. Morgan was an all-around inventor-journeyman who seemingly could ‘do it all’. He invented many things, including a hair relaxer, hair straightening comb, and the gas mask, which saved countless lives during World War I. But it was his invention of the traffic light in 1923, which he sold to Westinghouse for $150 that would forever revolutionize technology. Morgan’s invention has literally saved hundreds of thousands of lives. We should remember Garrett Morgan every time we stop at an intersection and every time we cross the streets.

Elijah Mc Coy (1844-1929)- Elijah Mc Coy patented more than 57 inventions during his lifetime. But it was his “Lubrication Cup”-a cup that was inserted into machines that fed oil to the machine bearings that stopped machines from wearing down and breaking down so easily due the dryness or the friction of the machine, which caused much damage. But he had competitors and imitators. To distinguish his inventions from the fakers, he labeled his oil cups as “The Real Mc Coy” That term has become synonymous with anything that is original and genuine in its origins. His concept is still used in many factories to this day and have saved companies millions of dollars in wear and tear.

George Washington Carver (1864-1943)- Today we use peanut butter to make sandwiches or on crackers. It has become the all-American pastime. The peanut was also the inspiration of numerous inventions of one ingenious Black scientist- George Washington Carver. Carver, a son of Slaves, patented more than 300 uses of the peanut which were used in adhesives, axle grease and shoe polish, as well as many uses from soybeans, pecans and sweet potatoes, which are used as ingredients in many products till this day though under different scientific names. Carver’s discoveries helped revolutionize farming and agriculture. And yes, he even had his own peanut butter.

Granville T. Woods (1856-1910)-Today train travel has become one of the most common modes of travel today. There have also been many changes and innovations in trains and the way they operate. What most people do not know is that many of those changes was initiated and carried out by an African American inventor named Granville T. Woods. Woods, whose skills as an inventor was basically self-taught, had a particular knack for fixing things, and he also had an insatiable desire to learn more about technology. Granville also had a passion for trains, in fact, it was not an exaggeration to say that he had a love for the railroad.

With his brilliant, ingenious mind, he soon found ways that he could further improvise or improve on the Railway System. In 1888, for instance, he invented a system for overhead conducting lines for railroads, which was used in such cities as New York, Chicago and St. Louis. A year later he invented an improved steam boiler furnace, which cut down on a lot of steam emission so the motorman and conductor could clearly see what was ahead of them. But it was his invention two years earlier in 1887 that would change train communications forever. In that year he wrote out a patent for a ” Synchronous Mutiplex Railway Telegraph”, which allowed motormen to communicate with nearby stations and other trains so they could know where each other was at all times. This cut down on a lot of accidents, which were often tragic and fatal. He also invented an automatic air brake, which caused the train to slow down and stop smoothly. He also invented the electric railway car, which was powered by wires overhead. It is still being used to this day.

Being a brilliant Black man, Woods’ innovations was often met with opposition, even jealousy by most racist Whites of his day. They could not get themselves to accept that all of these concepts had been invented by a Black man. Even the great Thomas Edison claimed that Woods supposedly ‘stole’ one of his inventions, the previously-mentioned ‘Railway Telegraph’ System, but it could not be conclusively proven. Incidentally, Granville Woods was often referred to as “The Black Edison”, which should have been a compliment to the White Edison.

But in any event, Granville T. Woods forever changed the way we ride the rails. Just remember that if you ever get stuck on a subway train in a tunnel and you hear the motorman communicating with the passengers or the conductor or when a train breaks smoothly without causing any serious damage or harm.

Norbert Rillieux (1806-1894)-Today sugar is a commonly consumed food. We use it in virtually everything. Yet few persons realize that it was a Black man who is responsible for why the sugar we buy is so refined-Norbert Rillieux.

Norbert Rillieux invented a sugar-processing evaporator and an improved sugar refining system, which saved a lot of money in producing sugar from sugar cane and beets. In the early part of the 19th century, refining sugar was a long and arduous process, which involved handling boiling, hot liquids, which could be very dangerous and fatal. It was often slaves who had to deal with the dangerous task of sugar production.

But Rillieux’s invention changed all that. It was his sugar invention that saved numerous lives that brought an end to the the previous methods of producing sugar, Today, we have sugar refining factories that have machines to perform what once took hours or days to produce. We have Norbert Rillieux to thank for all that.

Jan Matzeliger (1852-1889)- When our shoes gets worn down we usually take them to a shoe repair shop, which can fix them in minutes right on the premises. But in the early 19th century, shoe repair and production could takes hours or even days, since it was performed by manual labor, or by hand. Thanks to Jans Matzeliger, we no longer have to wait that long.

Jan Ernst Matzeliger, who was of Guyanese descent, immigrated to the United States at the age of 18. He started work at a shoe shop in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He began to notice that the making of shoes was a long, tedious process, taking hours because shoe-making was then done by hand. He revolutionized the shoemaking industry when in 1883 he invented a shoe-lasting machine that attached the sole to the shoe in one minute. People would never have to wait for hours for their shoes to be repaired again. Ironically enough, Matzeliger died poor, even though his invention has benefited millions. But Jans Matzeliger forever changed the way we get our shoes fixed.

Ernest Everett Just (1883-1941)- Ernest Everett Just was an African American zoologist, biologist, and research scientist in the field of physical chemistry. Just, who was born in Charleston, South Carolina in 1883, to a dock worker and a teacher. Young Ernest was very scientifically gifted, in fact, in 1907 at age 24 he graduated from Dartmouth College at the head of his class.

He later became the head of zoology at The Department of Zoology at Howard University. With his scientific expertise, Just created many ground-breaking research in cell biology. He published over 70 scientific papers. Just scientific breakthroughs were in the following areas:

-experimental parthenogenesis

-hydration

-cell division

-dehydration in living cells

-The effects of ultraviolet rays in increasing chromosomes of animals

His scientific discoveries are used in many science labs till this day. Ernest Everett Just is indeed a legend in the field of modern science.

So as we have seen, African Americans have contributed greatly to the American way of life, It has only been in recent times that these facts have come to light. It has opened the eyes and minds of many Whites-and Blacks alike that African American inventors and scientists are finally getting the credit that has been long overdue.