February has been celebrated as Black History Month since President Gerald Ford officially recognized it as so in 1976 – almost 50 years ago.
Ford wanted to designate this month to seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.
American history is made up of a vast variety of historical Black Americans who have shaped and transformed our world into the one we know today.
Let's take a minute to dive into the past and honor those who have made monumental changes, inventions and improvements for our society.
One significant invention was the mobile refrigerator, invented by Frederick McKinley Jones in 1938. Prior to his invention of the mobile refrigerator, ice and salt were utilized to preserve foods being transported over long distances, which created numerous limitations such as how far food could travel, how fast it spoiled and the breeding of bacteria in the food.
Jones primarily invented this portable refrigerator to aid the United States military in transporting foods, medicine and blood for transfusions during World War II in a more reliable way.
Another significant invention was the three-signal traffic light invented by Garrett Augustus Morgan in 1923. This technologically advanced traffic light replaced the original manual, gas-powered traffic light.
The first traffic light invented in 1868 led to gas leaks, explosions and extremely dangerous driving conditions resulting in severe injuries and fatalities. This original traffic light design only consisted of two commands: stop and go.
Morgan’s new design of the traffic light added the third command which we all know today as the “yellow light.” This provided drivers and pedestrians with a warning that traffic was about to come to a stop instead of abruptly coming to a standstill. This signal resulted in less frequent intersection collisions and safer traffic conditions.
Alice H. Parker invented the gas heating furnace in 1919, replacing the primary sources of heat during the early 1900s, coal and wood. However, coal and wood were not always accessible, resulting in people having no reliable source of heat during the winter.
Parker’s invention of the furnace allowed for cold air to enter the furnace. Natural gas is then pumped inside of the furnace and ignited where the burner’s flames are heated up.
The burner’s flames then create a heat exchange which processes warm air out into the house’s air ducts, heating the entirety of the house more efficiently.
Another honorable mention is Alexander Miles, a Black American who created an innovative way for elevator doors to open and close in 1887.
Prior elevators had to be manually opened and closed by an operator or passenger inside the elevator.
Manual operation of the elevator doors resulted in multiple hazards and injuries, leading Miles to make a change.
His solution was to attach a flexible belt to the elevator’s cage, simultaneously incorporating levers and rollers, resulting in the elevator doors opening and closing at the necessary time.
One last extraordinary invention is the lightbulb filament, created by Lewis Latimer in 1881, prolonging the life of a typical lightbulb.
Latimer invented an efficient and affordable source of light for numerous individuals. He worked for the United States Electric Lighting Company, where he produced a carbon filament, which was able to endure for longer periods of time.
This incandescent lightbulb was not only more efficient and affordable, but it was also safer.
Compared to gas lamps, this carbon lightbulb filament decreased the hazards originally created from gas lamps.
These are just a few of many Black Americans who overcame adversity, chose the path of ambition and made immense changes for individuals across the globe. Always remember to honor February as Black History Month and to remember those who sacrificed so much to give us what we now have.
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