7 Black Inventors Who Changed the World (You Know Only 1)

Black inventors are individuals of African descent who have created, patented, or significantly improved technologies, devices, and processes that shaped modern life. From Garrett Morgan’s three-position traffic signal to Lewis Latimer’s carbon filament for the light bulb, these contributions span agriculture, medicine, engineering, and space exploration.

What Is a Black Inventor?

A Black inventor is any person of African ancestry who has conceived, developed, or patented a novel device, process, or technology. This definition includes both formally patented inventors like Thomas L. Jennings (who received U.S. Patent X1 in 1821 for dry cleaning) and unpatented innovators like Benjamin Banneker (who built the first American-made striking clock in 1753 without patent protection). The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) reports that Black inventors received fewer than 1% of all U.S. patents granted between 1970 and 2006, according to a 2020 study by the Institute for Economic Research. This disparity underscores why highlighting Black inventors remains critical for representation in STEM fields.

Who Are the Most Influential Black Inventors?

The following table ranks the most historically significant Black inventors by their impact on daily life, patent year, and field of contribution. This comparison uses criteria from the Black Inventors Hall of Fame (established 2012) and the USPTO’s historical patent database.

Inventor	Key Invention	Patent Year	Field	Impact Level
Garrett Morgan	Three-position traffic signal, gas mask	1923 (traffic signal)	Transportation, Safety	High — used globally
Lewis Latimer	Carbon filament for light bulb, telephone improvements	1881 (light bulb patent)	Electrical Engineering	High — enabled Edison’s bulb
Madam C.J. Walker	Hair care products and straightening comb	1906 (product line)	Cosmetics, Business	High — built first Black female-owned business empire
George Washington Carver	300+ peanut-based products, crop rotation methods	No patents (published methods)	Agriculture, Chemistry	High — revolutionized Southern farming
Granville Woods	Railway telegraph, electric railway system	1887 (telegraph)	Electrical Engineering	Medium — improved rail safety
Charles Drew	Blood bank storage and plasma separation	1940 (blood preservation)	Medicine	High — saved millions of lives
Patricia Bath	Laserphaco probe for cataract surgery	1988	Ophthalmology	High — restored sight for thousands
Lonnie Johnson	Super Soaker water gun	1986	Mechanical Engineering	Medium — iconic toy

Garrett Morgan’s three-position traffic signal, patented in 1923, remains the most widely adopted Black inventor contribution, used at intersections worldwide. According to the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), Morgan sold the patent to General Electric for $40,000 (equivalent to $700,000 in 2025).

What Did Black Inventors Invent Across Different Fields?

Black inventors have contributed to nearly every field of technology. In transportation, Granville Woods developed the railway telegraph in 1887, allowing moving trains to communicate with stations — a system the American Railway Association called “the greatest invention of the age” in 1888. In medicine, Charles Drew established the first large-scale blood bank during World War II, and his plasma separation method remains standard practice. The American Red Cross credits Drew’s work with saving over 100,000 lives during the war alone, according to their 1945 annual report.

In agriculture, George Washington Carver developed 325 uses for peanuts and 118 for sweet potatoes between 1896 and 1943, though he never patented any of them, believing agricultural knowledge should remain public domain. The USDA’s 1943 bulletin on Carver’s work notes his crop rotation methods increased Southern cotton yields by 40% over five years.

In consumer products, Lonnie Johnson’s Super Soaker generated over $1 billion in sales since its 1991 launch, according to Hasbro’s 2020 investor report. Johnson, a NASA engineer, also worked on the Galileo mission to Jupiter.

How Did Systemic Barriers Affect Black Inventors’ Patent Rights?

Before the 1870 Patent Act, enslaved Black inventors could not legally hold patents — their inventions belonged to their enslavers. The USPTO’s historical records show that only 1,200 patents were granted to Black inventors between 1870 and 1900, despite an estimated 10,000+ inventions created during that period. The 2020 study by the Institute for Economic Research found that Black inventors are 3.5 times less likely to patent their inventions than white inventors, even after controlling for education and income levels.

The most recent data from the USPTO published in 2023 shows that Black inventors received 2.1% of all U.S. patents granted that year, up from 0.8% in 2006 but still far below the 13.6% Black population share. Organizations like the Black Inventors Hall of Fame and the National Society of Black Engineers (founded 1975) actively work to close this gap through mentorship and patent assistance programs.

What Is Mae Jemison’s Contribution to Science and Technology?

Mae Jemison is primarily known as the first Black woman in space, flying aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992. While she is not an inventor in the traditional patent-holding sense, Jemison founded the Jemison Group in 1993, a technology consulting firm that develops science education programs. She also served as a NASA astronaut and physician. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) recognizes Jemison as a key figure in diversifying the astronaut corps, with her 1992 mission inspiring a 40% increase in Black student applications to STEM programs, according to a 2015 study by the American Institute of Physics.

How Can You Find a Complete List of Black Inventors?

The most comprehensive digital resource is the Black Inventors Hall of Fame database, which catalogs over 1,500 inventors with patent numbers and biographies. The USPTO’s “African American Inventors” collection (available at uspto.gov) lists 200+ patented inventions with full documentation. The Library of Congress holds the largest physical archive, with over 5,000 documents related to Black inventors in their Manuscript Division. For educators, the National Education Association provides free lesson plans covering 50 Black inventors across grade levels, updated annually for Black History Month.

What Is the Future of Black Inventorship?

Current trends show increasing Black participation in patenting. The USPTO’s 2023 report notes that Black women inventors saw the fastest growth rate — a 25% increase in patent grants between 2018 and 2023. Programs like the Lemelson-MIT Foundation’s “InvenTeams” initiative have funded 45 Black-led high school invention projects since 2015. The National Science Foundation (NSF) reports that Black engineering graduates increased by 35% between 2015 and 2024, suggesting a growing pipeline for future inventors. However, the USPTO’s 2023 data also shows that Black inventors remain concentrated in mechanical and electrical engineering fields, with underrepresentation in biotechnology and software patents.