A Black barbershop, c. 1920. Public Domain
Black American history is incredibly rich so much so you will never run out of things to learn. Every February, Black History Month, we celebrate the contributions of Black inventors, activists, and others to American history.
From notable figures who made an impact, to overlooked Black inventors, let’s explore some of the most fascinating stories from the annals of Black history you may not have been taught in school.
A Black Woman Invented The Sanitary Belt
Mary Kenner. Fair Use
Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner was quite the inventor at an early age. She invented numerous products we use today and reportedly has the most patents of any African American woman. But her most innovative creation was the sanitary belt, which aimed to prevent the leakage of menstrual blood on clothing. While she originally invented the sanitary belt in the 1920s, she couldn’t afford a patent. A company got word of this invention in 1957 but declined to market her product when they discovered she was Black.
Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou with copy of I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. Public Domain
You must have heard about Maya Angelou, one of the most important African-American authors, orators, and civil rights activists of the 20th century. What you may not know is that in 1944, she became the first Black woman to become a cable car conductor in San Francisco.
A Black Woman Invented The Modern-Day Ironing Board
Sarah Boone. Public Domain
Did you know that the modern-day ironing board was invented by a Black woman born in 1832 to enslaved parents in North Carolina? Sarah Boone, an African American dressmaker realized that she needed a way to press the sleeves and bodices of ladies’ clothes, so she applied for a patent which she received in 1892, becoming one of the first Black women to be awarded a patent.
A Black Architect Helped Design Washington, DC
A statue of Benjamin Banneker at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. Source: Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
For many people, the U.S. capital, Washington, D.C. was originally designed by famous White architect Pierre Charles L’Enfant and then completed by Andrew Ellicott after the former left the project in 1792.
But did you know that the nation’s capital would not be the same if it wasn’t for the meticulous memory and surveying work of Benjamin Banneker? The former designer who walked off the job took all the plans with him, but Banneker was able to save the project.
The First Successful Open-Heart Surgery Was Performed In 1893 By A Black Surgeon
Daniel Hale Williams. Public Domain
Dr. Daniel Hale Williams accomplished many “firsts” as a Black physician in the late 1800s. In July 1893, Dr. Williams performed the nation’s first successful open-heart surgery. He is known today as “the Father of Black Surgery.”
A Black Woman Invented Home Security
Image: Home security system patent by Marie Van Brittan Brown. Source: Google Patents
If you sleep better at night because you have a security system, you should know it was invented by a Black woman. Marie Van Brittan Brown patented the modern home security system. Enlisting the knowledge of her husband, a Black electronics technician named Albert Brown, she designed the country’s first known video home security system.
“Black Wall Street” Was A Thriving Community Of Black Businesses
A Black barbershop, c. 1920. Public Domain
In 1921, Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Greenwood District, known as Black Wall Street, was one of the most prosperous African-American communities in the United States.
Despite popular media claims, the development of successful Black communities filled with thriving Black-owned businesses was common throughout the 1900s. What the textbooks tend to leave out is that these neighborhoods and cities were destroyed physically by targeted attacks from White supremacists.
The Youth Of Birmingham, Alabama, Led A Nonviolent Children’s Crusade In 1963
Source: blackpast.org, All rights belong to original photographer.
In May of 1963, thousands of Black children ages 7-18, conducted peaceful protests around the city of Birmingham, Alabama to draw attention to the Civil Rights Movement. Even though they were children, they were met with anger by White Birmingham citizens, and hostility by the police, and many of them were thrown in jail.
Heroes Of The Civil Rights Movement
Rosa Parks (Public Domain), Ella Baker (Wikimedia Commons), and Dorothy Height (Wikimedia Commons).
We are often taught that the Civil Rights Movement was mainly helmed by men like Rev. Martin Luther King, but history has overlooked the Black women who were also instrumental in such movements and made his legacy possible. The civil rights movement could not have happened without women like Rosa Parks, Ella Baker, Dorothy Height, and many more.
Hidden Figures: The Black Mathematicians Behind Nasa’s Success
Katherine Johnson (Public Domain), Dorothy Vaughan (Public Domain), Mary Jackson (Public Domain)
The extraordinary contributions made by three brilliant Black mathematicians are often overlooked in the narrative of NASA’s triumphs. Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson, known as the “Hidden Figures,” played pivotal roles in shaping the course of space exploration and American history.
