Anna Mangin is best known for inventing the pastry fork, a precursor of many modern electric mixing inventions. Born in Louisiana in October of 1854, little is known about Mangin’s childhood and adolescence. In 1877, she married A.F Mangin, a coal dealer from New York, … Read MoreAnna Mangin (1854- ?)
Born on September 1, 1857 in Columbus, Mississippi, Henry E. Baker was remarkable for being the first author to explore and record the work of African American inventors. He began his education at the United States Naval Academy in 1874 where he was only the … Read MoreHenry E. Baker (1857-1928)
Madeline M. Turner is the inventor of Turner’s Fruit-Press (the original blueprint/ design on which all modern juicers are based). The machine engineered by Turner allows consumers to enjoy the beverages we know as juices as well as juice bars and popular juice cleanses. It … Read MoreMadeline M. Turner (? – ?)
Inventor and women’s rights advocate Lyda Newman is best known for a newly-designed hairbrush patent and her effort to fight for women’s rights; particularly, women’s suffrage. Newman was born in 1885 to a steelworker and a housewife in Ohio. Little is known about her childhood. … Read MoreLyda Newman (1885- ?)
Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner is an inventor of numerous products we use today and has the most patents of any African American woman. Kenner was born on May 17, 1912, in Monroe, North Carolina. Her father was inventor Sidney Nathaniel Davidson, and her mother is … Read MoreMary Kenner (1912-2006)
The invention of the fluted or barbed harpoon, which revolutionized the whaling industry, was the brainchild of Lewis Temple, an African American blacksmith and abolitionist born in 1800 in Richmond, Virginia. Historians have not determined whether or not he started life as a slave or … Read MoreLewis Temple (1800-1854)
George Speck, later known as George Crum and long thought to be the inventor of the potato chip, was born on July 15, 1824 in Saratoga Country, New York to parents Abraham Speck, an African American, and Diana Tull, a Native American of the Huron … Read MoreGeorge Crum (1824-1914)
Alexander P. Ashbourne was an early inventor. He was born into slavery in Philadelphia around 1820. There are very few documented facts about his personal life. He grew up cutting wheat alongside his family members. In his youth, Ashbourne began to think of more efficient … Read MoreAlexander P. Ashbourne (1820-1915)
John Lee Love was an African American inventor, most known for his invention of the hand-cranked pencil sharpener, the “Love Sharpener,” and an improved plasterer’s hawk. Little is known about the early life of Love. His date and place of birth are unknown, but it is … Read MoreJohn Lee Love (?-1931)
Marian R. Croak has contributed to the expansion of technology, especially Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP), throughout her career. Croak attended the University of California and Princeton University, graduating with a Ph.D. in Qualitative Analysis and Social Psychology in 1982. Little is known about the … Read MoreMarian R. Croak (1955- )
