Today we are highlighting some African American Modern inventors who
have made significant contributions in various areas for the
improvement of mankind’s life.
Marie
Van Brittan Brown, born in
Jamacica Queens, NY,
was
a full-time nurse living in New York when she invented the first home
security system. Brown's 1966 patented system included peepholes,
monitors, an alarm button that contacted the police, and a two-way
microphone. Her invention laid the foundation for modern security
systems and over 30 additional inventions.
Janet
Emerson Bashen, born
in Mansfield, OH,
was the first African American woman to patent a web-based software
invention. As a tech
pioneer,
Bashen patented LinkLine
—
a web application used to track and manage Equal Employment
Opportunity claims — in 2006. Inducted into the Black
Inventors Hall of Fame,
Bashen continues to make technological advancements with her
organization, Bashen Corporation.
Physicist
and engineer Dr. George Carruthers,
born in Cincinnati, OH,
invented a camera to photograph ultraviolet images in space.
Carruthers' 1969 invention captured the first UV images of the
Earth's atmosphere. His cameras photographed over 550 stars and
galaxies, including Halley's Comet. Carruthers earned NASA's
Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal and induction into the
National
Inventors Hall of Fame.
In
1988, Dr.
Patricia Bath, born
in New York City,
made scientific
history as
the first African American female physician to receive a medical
patent. The Laserphaco
Probe became
the leading surgical tool used to treat patients with cataracts. Dr.
Bath held patents for medical devices in Japan, Canada, and across
Europe.
Dr.
Leonidas Berry was born in Woodsdale, NC. His invention
transformed the treatment process for alcoholism. The Eder-Berry
biopsy scope added suction to the gastroscope and provided a clearer
visual for doctors to see and collect tissue from the stomach. Using
his invention, Dr. Berry discovered that the liver was the site of
alcoholic disease, improving treatment options for patients.
In
his 1987 handbook, "How to Make $100,000 Farming 25 Acres,"
Booker T. Whatley outlined clientele membership clubs and
other farming practices that remain in demand today. Clientele
membership clubs, the beginnings of the modern CSA, provided farmers
with a guaranteed income, reduced farm waste, and provided community
members with fresh produce. Whatley was born in Calhoun County, AL.
To
God Be the Glory for creating these and other African Americans with
the intellectual prowess to develop such useful inventions!
|