We Did It — They Hid It
In order
to raise the consciousness of our African brothers and sisters, we must
understand and apply the Akan concept of Sankofa, which means that in order to
move forward we first have to take a step back. In other words, before we can
be prepared for the future, we must comprehend the past. Therefore, here is a
partial list of just some of the thousands of past (and present) inventions,
patents, improvements, discoveries, creations, and innovations by and
pertaining to Africans in America and in Africa.
But
before we begin, we should understand certain key terms, such as “invention”
and “patent.” An invention is a process, design, or product — including a
substantive improvement thereof — that is not previously known or not
previously existing by the exercise of independent investigation and
experiment. A patent is a grant given by the federal government for such a
process, design, or product — including a substantive improvement thereof —
with that grant providing the exclusive right to make and sell the process,
design, or product — including a substantive improvement thereof — for a term
of years. Accordingly, patent holders (as are many of the Africans listed
below) can legally be defined as actual “inventors.”
It must
be mentioned that although our ancestors have received credit for various
inventions and patent ideas in America, we must realize that in many, if not
most, cases, inventions and patent ideas were systematically stolen from us by
those who enslaved and otherwise oppressed us from the 17th to mid-20th
centuries and thereabouts. In fact, there were laws during a significant part
of that period that barred our ancestors from filing lawsuits or testifying in
court when they wanted to prove that their inventions and patent ideas had been
stolen by whites.
This
partial list was compiled to begin re-igniting a sense of ability and
excellence in the minds of Africans as well as to dispel self-hating myths that
have caused many of us to believe that white people’s water is wetter than
Black people’s water. And now, without further ado, here is our “We Did It-They
Hid It” list with dates, patent numbers, and some commentary. Be proud about it
and be loud about it; now that you have heard, you must spread the word!
MODERN AFRICAN HISTORY:
Abele (pronounced “able”) was the Chief Designer at the prestigious Horace Trumbauer and Associates architectural firm from 1938-50. He attended the Institute for Colored Youth, which has since been transformed into Cheyney University, and in 1904 was the first African to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania School of Architecture. (Refer below to the section captioned “Library.”)
This essential invention ended the constant and serious problem of babies falling out of carriages, most of which were inherently defective because they were built without a leveler to keep the carriage safely balanced.
This blimp (i.e., air ship) was the first to be powered by an electric motor and to have directional controls.
Jennings is the first African to receive a U.S. patent. After earning money from his patent, he used those funds to buy his enslaved family’s freedom and to support the abolition movement. Also, in 1831, he served as the Assistant Secretary for the First Annual Convention of The People of Color (which, by the way, was held in Philadelphia).
This invention has saved hundreds of thousands of lives by drastically improving upon pre-existing and quite dangerous ascending/descending contraptions. Those contraptions (i.e., primitive elevators), when stopped on a floor other than that desired by a passenger, required that passenger to manually shut a door to cut off access to the shaft, which often caused that passenger to fall into that deep shaft.
Prior to this invention by Dr. Grant (who, by the way, graduated from and later taught at Harvard Dental School), golfers had to use their hands to make a mound of sand and then place the ball on top of that mound. Despite his innovative genius that greatly benefited golfers worldwide, he was barred — and still would be barred — from many country clubs because of his race.
Dr. Williams performed this miraculous feat by removing a knife from the heart of a stabbing victim, after which he sutured the wound and the patient recovered. He also founded the Provident Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago, IL, which is the oldest free standing Black-owned hospital in the country.
This invention provided a mechanism for routing heat to various rooms throughout a building.
Jackson, a Philadelphian and a former White House chef, uniquely used ice mixed with salt to lower and control the temperature of his special mix of ingredients, which proved to be a major breakthrough in the creation of ice cream as we know it today. He also created various ice cream flavors. However, he never applied for a patent.
This invention, which was a narrowed, curved, and reversible appliance, made it possible for the first time in history to easily and efficiently press and crease parts of clothing like sleeves and types of clothing like uniquely tailored women’s garments.
Refer above to the section captioned “Art Museum.”
The innovative lock invented by Martin is precisely what made today’s locks possible. It creatively included a cylinder and spiral spring coiled around a metal pin, thereby frustrating thieves and burglars throughout the country.
This invention is also known as a letter box and a letter drop.
Sosan, through his Package Park (Maita) company, made it possible for overnight and next day package delivery providers such as Federal Express, United Parcel Service, and the U.S. Postal Service (as well as other major and small businesses) to have all of their deliveries immediately received by customers and then accurately tracked by computer.
These suspenders, called “trouser supports and stretchers,” included practical and stylish features such as metal clasps.
Although he patented it in 1949, he actually invented it in 1935.
This home protection system was the first to include television and video surveillance.
French historian Edourd de Laboulaye, who was the chairman of the French Anti-Slavery Society, proposed to the French government that the people of France present to the people of United States, through the American Abolitionist Society, the gift of a Statue of Liberty (with construction beginning in 1875) in recognition of the abolition of American slavery and also therefore obviously in recognition of the major role played by the approximately 150,000 Black soldiers who helped abolish slavery by winning the Civil War. When the statue, sculpted by de Laboulaye’s close friend and fellow French Anti-Slavery Society member Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, was presented in 1884 to a U.S. official, its color was black and it had broken chains at the feet and left hand of the female-modeled sculpture. Later, the hand chain was removed. It must be noted that the original design of this statue was for a lighthouse project in Egypt (meaning Kemet) and it featured an Egyptian (meaning Kemetic) female with broken chains of slavery at her feet.
This invention, which was called a “chamber commode,” featured all of today’s creature comforts such as a toilet stool, wash stand, mirror, bureau, and book rack.
Robinson creatively used electricity in overhead wires to propel passenger-carrying vehicles.
Unlike previous bulky and exclusively upper case “letter-writing machines” that were described as a cross between “a small piano and a kitchen table” and that blocked the user from being able to see what he was typing as he was typing, the novel invention by Burridge and Marshman was quite practical. It printed both upper and lower case letters, was a much smaller device, and allowed the user to see what he was typing as he was typing. Also, it required fewer parts and movements to operate and allowed for the use of any paper length.
Using the Hyperball Computer that he invented in 1975, this pre-eminent scientist solved the world’s largest mathematical equations that produced meticulously accurate weather forecasting worldwide. (Refer above to the section captioned “Computer.”)
