In honor of Black History Month, it seems only right to mention some notable black women who invented some of the things we use on an everyday basis. So here are some things you probably didn’t know were invented by black women.
-On November 15,1898, Lyda A. Newman, born in Circa, Ohio, patented the detachable easy clean hair brush.While there isn’t much information on her, she is noted for being a women’s rights activist.
-Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner, born in Monroe, North Carolina, patented the Sanitary napkin aka the pad on May 15, 1956 and then the bathroom tissue holder on October 19, 1982. The company that was interested in her invention originally rejected it after they discovered that she was an African American woman.
-Madame C.J. Walker , born to former slaves becomes a beauty and hair care philanthropist. She also became a millionaire.
-Sarah Boone, born in Summit, Pike County, Mississippi received a patent on April 26, 1892 for the ironing board.
-Dr. Shirley Jackson is an American physicist who invented many things such as caller ID.
-In 1983, Theora Stephens created the curling iron.
-Marie V Brown patented the home security system in 1969. Brown’s system had a set of 4 peep holes and a camera that could slide up and down to look at each one. Anything and everything the camera picked up would appear on a monitor. Also, a resident could unlatch the door by remote control. Although the system was originally intended for domestic uses, many businesses began to adopt her system due to its effectiveness.
There are plenty more black inventors that changed a lot of what we used to do. There are many, many, many Black female inventors out there but this is just a few and how the creations they made contribute to our everyday lives. Whether they made it more convenient or more useful, these women women sought to make it happen.