Ganolife Salutes Black History

Thomas Jennings Born: 1791 Invention: Dry Scouring. This was a dry cleaning press. Thomas Jennings was the first African American to receive a patent, on March 3, 1821 (U.S. patent 3306x). Thomas Jennings' patent was for a dry-cleaning process called "dry scouring". The first money Thomas Jennings earned from his patent was spent on the legal fees (my polite way of saying enough money to purchase) necessary to liberate his family out of slavery and support the abolitionist cause. Under the United States patent laws of 1793 and 1836, both slaves and freedman could patent their inventions. However, in 1857, a slave-owner named Oscar Stuart patented a "double cotton scraper" that was invented by his slave. Historical records only show the real inventor's name as being Ned. Stuart's reasoning for his actions was that, "the master is the owner of the fruits of the labor of the slave both manual and intellectual". In 1858, the U.S. patent office changed the patent laws, in response to the Oscar Stuart vs Ned case, in favor of Oscar Stuart. Their reasoning was that slaves were not citizens, and could not be granted patents. But surprising in 1861, the Confederate States of America passed a law granting patent rights to slaves. In 1870, the U.S.government passed a patent law giving all American men including blacks the rights to their inventions. Thomas Jennings was born in 1791. He was 30 years old when he was granted a patent for a dry cleaning process. Thomas Jennings was a free tradesman and operated a dry cleaning business in New York City. His income went mostly to his abolitionist activities. In 1831, Thomas Jennings became assistant secretary for the First Annual Convention of the People of Color in Philadelphia, PA.

Ganolife Salutes Black History

Sarah Boone. Invention: Ironing Board. African American, Sarah Boone, patented an improvement to the ironing board. African American, Sarah Boone, patented an improvement to the ironing board (U.S. Patent #473,653) on April 26, 1892. Sarah Boone's ironing board was designed to be effective in ironing the sleeves and bodies of ladies' garments. As you can see from the patent drawing below, Sarah Boone's board was very narrow and curved, the size and fit of a sleeve, and it was reversible, making it easy to iron both sides of a sleeve.

Ganoliofe Salutes Black History

Phil Brooks. Invention: Disposable Syringe. Made syringes safer by being able to disregard the old syringe and proceed with a new one. This saved companies lots of money.

Ganolife Salutes Black History

Marie Van Brittan Brown. Born: Queens, NY. Oct 30, 1922 - Feb 22, 1999 Invention: Closed Circuit Television Security System. The system used a motorized camera which slid up and down looking through a set of 4 peep holes. Anything the camera picked up was shown on a monitor. An electrical switch allowed the occupant to unlatch the door by remote control. Back in 1966 the idea for a home surveillance device seemed almost unthinkable. A resident of Jamaica, Queens, New York City, she applied for a patent with Albert Brown in 1966 for a closed circuit television security system. The system used a motorized camera which slid up and down looking through a set of 4 peep holes. Anything the camera picked up was shown on a monitor. An electrical switch allowed the occupant to unlatch the door by remote control. Back in 1966 the idea for a home surveillance device seemed almost unthinkable.

Ganolife Salutes Black History

John Albert Burr Invention: Improved Rotary Blade Lawn Mow. On May 9, 1899, John Albert Burr patented an improved rotary blade lawn mower. Burr designed a lawn mower with traction wheels and a rotary blade that was designed to not easily get plugged up from lawn clippings. John Albert Burr also improved the design of lawn mowers by making it possible to mow closer to building and wall edges. You can view U.S. patent 624,749 issued to John Albert Burr.

Ganolife Salutes Black History

Joseph A. Smith Invention: Lawn Sprinkler. It’s springtime and it’s that season when the flowers bloom, the grass is refreshed and gardens grow. What would life be like if gardeners had to drag long hoses across enormous lawns and sit for hours to make sure the grass was evenly watered? Thanks to African American scientist and inventor, Joseph H. Smith, most people do not have to do that. On May 4, 1897, Smith patented the lawn sprinkler, and later patented an improvement of the original design.

Ganolife Salutes Black History

Dr. Daniel H. Williams Born: Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania 1856 Invention: Performed First Open Heart Surgery. Dr. Daniel Hale Williams was an African American physician who made history by performing the first successful open heart surgery operation. Daniel Hale Williams was born in 1856 in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, the fifth of eight children. His father was a barber who died when Daniel was only nine. His mother was unable to provide for all the children on her own, so she moved the family to Baltimore, Maryland to stay with relatives. An apprenticeship with a shoemaker was found for Daniel; he remained there as a shoemaker's apprentice for three years while he was still a young child. As a teenager, he learned to cut hair and became a barber, living and working with a family who owned a barber shop in Janesville, Wisconsin. In Janesville Daniel began to attend high school. He graduated from Hare's Classical Academy in 1877. While working as a barber, he met Dr. Henry Palmer, a leading surgeon, who became the Surgeon General of Wisconsin. Dr. Palmer took Daniel on as a medical apprentice; he had two other apprentices at the time. Dr. Palmer helped the three apprentices apply for admission to a top medical school, the Chicago Medical School, which was affiliated with Northwestern University. All three were accepted and began their studies in 1880. Dr. Daniel Hale Williams graduated with his medical degree in 1883.