When we think about Black inventors and their intentions, our whitewashed elementary school educations remind us of ‘that peanut guy’ – or at least that’s what came to my mind. This ‘peanut guy’ was actually named Dr. George Washington Carver, a skilled botanist who did massive amounts of plant research, most famously the 300+ ways to use a peanut.
But here’s a breakdown of 5 things we definitely couldn’t (and wouldn’t want to) survive today’s pop culture world without, brought to us by some of the greatest African American inventors.
- Ice cream
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Augustus Jackson, later crowned the “Father of Ice Cream”, invented new recipes and a better technique for making the most famous dessert in America. After working as a White House cook, he returned home to Philadelphia as a confectioner where he perfected his craft and began selling to street vendors and ice cream parlors. Thank you very much Mr. Jackson; I’ll take a large strawberry cone
- Caller ID
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I don’t know about y’all, but this is one of my favorites. As the introvert I am, I LOVE knowing who is on the other line before I pick up my phone or deciding not to pick up in the first place because of who is calling me. Let’s be honest we all do it. Caller ID originated from the great Dr. Shirley Jackson, the first Black woman to receive a doctorate from MIT and serve as president at NYU. Jackson even taught at Rutgers from 1991-1995, those lucky boomers.
- Super Soaker
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Everyone has a childhood memory associated with a Super Soaker. Mine involves my brother knocking my front tooth out in a heated water war. Anyways, Lonnie Johnson came up with the idea for what was originally called a “power drencher” while working for the U.S. Air Force. He received a patent for it and made a deal with the Lamari Corporation (turned Hasbro), the partnership led to the later invention of the Nerf Gun, yet another thing my brother would attack me with.
- Potato Chips
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One of our favorite salty snacks was actually developed in a fit of rage by chef George Crum. After a customer complained their fries were too thick, mushy, and not salty enough, Crum cut a potato the thinnest he could, baked them to a crisp, and salted them generously – we love a petty queen. Turned out, what was supposed to be a lesson to this customer became one of the restaurants most popular menu items. Behold the potato chip!
- GIFs
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Lisa Gelobter: the original meme queen. Gelobter was the first Black woman to invent many internet technologies, the most important being the GIF of course. She invented Shockwave Flash, allowing for web animation and the birth of the GIF. She was also in senior management for the launch of Hulu so we can thank her for our obsessive binging.
In addition to these ~necessities~, many medical and technological masterpieces that we genuinely would not be able to survive the way we do today without them would not have been around if it weren’t for these brilliant minds.