Most people have heard about famous inventions like the light bulb, the cotton gin and the iPhone. But there are countless other, often overlooked inventions that make our daily lives easier. Among the creative innovators behind these devices are African American inventors. From the traffic light to the ironing board, see a list of products that have sprung from the minds of Black inventors.
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Improved Ironing Board, Invented by Sarah Boone in 1892
The ironing board is a product that's possibly used just as much as it's overlooked. In the late 19th century, it was improved upon by Sarah Boone, an African American woman who was born enslaved. One of the first Black women in the U.S. history to receive a patent, she expanded upon the original ironing board, which was essentially a horizontal wooden block initially patented in 1858. With Boone's 1892 additions, the board featured a narrower and curved design, making it easier to iron garments, particularly women's clothing . Boone's design would morph into the modern ironing board that we use today.
Home Security System, Co-Invented by Marie Van Brittan Brown in 1966
Before security systems became a fixture in homes, an African American nurse Marie Van Brittan Brown, devised an early security unit for her own home. She spent many nights at home alone in Queens, New York while her husband was away, and felt unsafe with high rates of crime in her neighborhood. On top of that, the police were unreliable and unresponsive. So she created a device that would help put her mind at ease.
In 1966, Brown invented a system that used a camera that could slide into and look through four peepholes in her front door. The camera's view would then appear on a monitor in her home so she could survey any potentially unwanted guests.