In honor of Black History Month, each week RAFT would like to pay tribute to African-American inventors, scientists, and engineers.

The list of African Americans who have invented a multitude of items in the course of their lives is endless! These inventions range from practical everyday devices to applications in diverse fields, including physics, biology, and mathematics. Just a few of these inventors and inventions include:
INVENTOR
INVENTION
Leonard C. Bailey
Folding bed
Janet Bashen
First African-American woman to receive a patent for software
Earl Bell
Chair with sliding skin and the quantitative display apparatus
Miriam Benjamin
Second African-American woman to obtain a patent for the “Gong and Signal Chair” for hotels
Henry Blair
Seed/cotton planter; second African-American inventor to receive a patent
Sarah Boone
Ironing board allowing sleeves to be ironed more easily
Otis Boykin
Artificial heart pacemaker control unit
Charles Brooks
Street sweeper truck
Phil Brooks
Disposable syringe
Thomas Cannon
Lead engineer for Tactical Optical Fiber Connector
Lewis Latimer
Draftsman for Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison; said to have invented the water closet                                                                                             


Try your hand at identifying a need or problem in your daily life and creating a solution (invention) with RAFT’s

​Makerspace in a Box.