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.
Disclaimer: The Patent Search Information site is
the work of an information specialist with over 25 years of experience
and strives to be as accurate and useful as possible. However, no
information from this site should be construed in any way as providing
legal advice. Consult an attorney if you need legal advice.
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Inventive Spirit of African Americans: Patented Ingenuity
