 African-American
Inventors
Despite
the many obstacles that African-American inventors have faced, there
is a rich and long history of African-American inventors. One of the
first black inventors who was able to obtain a U.S. patent was Thomas
L. Jennings, who obtained a patent in 1821 for a dry-cleaning process.
Other early African-American inventors include Henry Blair, who received
a patent for a seed planter in 1834 and a corn harvester in 1836, and
Granville T. Woods who received 27 patents, beginning with his
first patent in 1884 for a steam boiler furnace. He has been described
as the "Black Edison."
Here
are some good sites to find information on important African-American
inventors and their patents.
Recommended Books:
  The Inventive Spirit of African Americans: Patented Ingenuity
 Listen to
more about The
Inventive Spirit of African Americans: Patented Ingenuity
(Read text)
 
African American Inventors (Black Stars)
  Black Stars: African American Women Scientists and Inventors
  Black Inventors in the Age of Segregation: Granville T. Woods, Lewis H. Latimer, and Shelby J. Davidson (Johns Hopkins Studies in the History of Technology)
 Your Little Black Book, Vol. 1 African American Inventions and Inventors (Your Little Black Book)
Try the following Google searches to find more information on African-American
Inventors. (Use quotes to make the search more targeted.)
"African-American Inventors"
"Black Inventors"
"African-Americans" patents
"African-Americans" inventions
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