In honor of Black History Month, I wanted to highlight some of America’s best. African-Americans rarely get the recognition they deserve in creating some of the nation’s most prized possessions, pastimes, music, and inventions, and without them, our everyday routines would be disrupted. In particular, I wanted to write about black women because, even as I was writing this, search results for “black women inventors” were very limited, and one woman’s picture was used for the wrong person. This is all to say that I want to pay homage to the women that pioneered the way for all other black women.
1. Madame C.J. Walker Walker became one of America’s first self-made billionaires by inventing hair care products after years of struggling with hair loss from a scalp condition. Although some may think that she invented the hot comb, that title is given to Marcel Grateau, a Frenchman who popularized it. However, Walker did improve the comb with wider teeth and improved its sales.
2. Dr. Shirley Jackson Did you ever wonder how you always knew when someone was calling? Thank Dr. Jackson for being the brains behind caller ID! Her scientific research led to other breakthrough innovations such as the portable fax, touch telephone, solar cells, and fiber optics cables, which helped long-distance phone calls become as clear as day. Dr. Jackson was also the first black woman to receive a Ph.D. from MIT in 1973. So don’t ever think that you’re not capable enough to get what you want!
3. Marie Van Brittan Brown If you’re ever feeling unsafe in your house and check your security cameras, thank Mrs. Brown for that reassurance. After rising crime in her neighborhood, Brown crafted a homemade security system using a camera that could slide into and look into her peepholes in her door as well as microphones so she could talk to people at the door, a button to unlock the door and a button to call the police. In 1966, Brown and her husband were the first to patent a household closed-circuit-television security system.
4. Valerie Thomas You either love them or hate them, but the technology created for 3D movies was created by a black woman. Valerie Thomas patented the illusion transmitter, a device that produces optical illusion images that appear to be real, or in front of the mirror itself. The technology was adopted by NASA and has been used in surgery, as well as television and video screens.
5. Dr. Patricia Bath Dr. Bath was the first black woman to complete a medical residency in ophthalmology as well as being the first black woman doctor to receive a medical patent when she invented the Laserphaco Probe, a device that helps correct cataracts during surgery. She is also the co-founder of the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness.
6. Lisa Gelobter I love using GIFs just as much as the next person, and they are an integral part of social media culture. Although the creation of it is largely credited to Steve Wilhite, the team leader of computer scientists under CompuServe, Gelobter was responsible for creating the early groundwork on the program that developed the animation used for GIFs. She is also known for working on several pioneering internet technologies that the likes of major companies such as Hulu and Shockwave use for their services, as well being a key role in the ascent of online video.