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.
- African American Inventors Database
- African-American Inventors
- African-American Inventors: A Sampling of African-American Inventors and Their Inventions
- Inventions and Patents of African-Americans-19th Century
- Inventions
and Patents of African-Americans-20th Century
- Historical African American Inventors
- The Top Ten African-American Inventors
- Major Inventions by African-Americans
- The Black Inventor Online Museum
- Museum of Black Inventions and Innovations
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
African-American Inventors Videos
Black Inventors
A Few Black Inventors from the 1800's to 2000
Black Inventors
Get the Black Inventors Match Game App!
Recommended Books on African-American Inventors

The Inventive Spirit of African Americans: Patented Ingenuity



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)

Now You Know! XL - Black Inventors Series
Inspiring African-American Inventors: 9 Extraordinary Lives (Great Scientists and Famous Inventors)
African American Inventors (Lucent Library of Black History)

Black Inventors, Crafting Over 200 Years of Success

African American Scientists and Inventors
More BOOKS on Black Inventors!




