Category : Inventors

Alfred L. Cralle was an African-American inventor and businessman who is best known for his invention of the ice cream scoop. Born in 1866 in...

William B. Purvis was an American inventor, best known for his patented improvements to the fountain pen in 1890. Purvis was born in Pennsylvania to...

Joseph Winters was an important African American inventor. He invented a wagon-mounted fire escape ladder for the city of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, a device that could...

T.J. Marshall made a significant contribution to fire safety with his invention of the fire-extinguishing sprinkler system in 1872. This innovative system, which involved pumping...

In 1880, Johnson invented the first eye protectors (patent no. 234,039), which improved upon the eye-protection that would be used by firemen, furnace-men, as well...

Alexander Miles was an African-American inventor who was best known for being awarded a patent for an automatically opening and closing elevator door design in...

Samuel Scrottron was an inventor of the late 1800s, best known for his invention of the curtain rod. It is unclear if Scrottron was born...

Osbourn Dorsey was an African-American man who invented the doorknob and doorstop in December of 1878. He successfully obtained a patent for his work in...

Willis Johnson, an African-American inventor from Cincinnati, Ohio, made a significant contribution to the culinary world when he patented and improved the mechanical egg beater...

In 1899, black American inventor George Cook of Louisville, Kentucky, received a U.S. patent for an “Automatic Fishing Device” (No. 625,829). The device featured a...