Black inventors are often overlooked and don’t get the flowers they deserve for their work. Did you know that a Black man invented the ice cream scoop? What about the electric dryer? We’re digging into four different Black inventors behind day-to-day items we could not live without!
What’s the Scoop?
Alfred L. Cralle is the inventor of the ice cream scoop! He was born in 1866 in Virginia, just after the end of the Civil War. The concept was created while he was working at a hotel, and noticed servers had difficulty using regular spoons to dish out the frozen dessert. First called the “Ice Cream Mold and Disher”, Cralle received the patent for the ice cream scoop in February, 1897. The device became popular quickly, but Cralle is rarely acknowledged as the creator of the common kitchen tool.
Anyone Need to do Some Laundry?
Laundry day is definitely a drag, but it was made a lot easier by one Black inventor named J. Ross Moore, who is credited with the invention of the electric dryer. Living on a farm in North Dakota, Moore built a shed and installed a stove, then hung his clothes inside of the shed to dry them. Over the following decades, he developed electric and gas-powered drum-style models of clothing dryers. Moore partnered with Hamilton Manufacturing Company to start producing and selling the electric dryer in 1938!
Feeling Safe and Secure?
The inventor of the home security system was a brilliant Black nurse named Marie van Brittan Brown. Born in 1922 in Queens, New York, Brown first worked as a nurse and kept different hours than her husband. This meant that she was often home alone, and worried for her safety as a woman in New York.
Brown and her husband invented the first security system in 1966. It was composed of several peepholes in her front door, along with a sliding camera, TV screens, and a microphone system so she could communicate with people outside. Brown had a remote that allowed her to unlock her door, as well as a button that would send an alert to police or security.
Having a Bad Hair Day?
Well if you’re reaching for a hairbrush you can thank none other than Lyda Newman, who patented the first hairbrush with synthetic bristles. Born in Ohio, little is known about Newman’s life, but historians know she worked as a hairdresser in New York for most of her life.
While hairbrushes were widely used, Newman took it upon herself to improve the design of the hairbrush. Her design eliminated the use of animal hair in brushes, instead using synthetic bristles that were both more sanitary, and more effective for textured hair. Newman received the patent for her hairbrush in November, 1898.
These are only a handful of the brilliant Black minds behind some of the most useful inventions to date! Let’s give them their flowers in the comments!
