Synthetic cortisone to relieve arthritis pain. A closed-circuit television security system. Lingo computer programming and Macromedia’s multimedia workhorse tool, Director. These and countless other products, processes, and designs are part of the heritage left by Black inventors.

In this country, Black inventors are documented to have started as early as the 1700s. Thomas L. Jennings, for instance. Born in the late 18^th century, Jennings is thought to have been the first Black inventor to receive a patent – which he did, at the age of 30, for a dry cleaning process. Jennings owned a dry cleaning shop in New York City, and used most of his income from the shop and his inventions for the abolitionist cause.

    The first Black woman in the U.S. to receive a patent is considered to be Judy W. Reed. Manually kneading and rolling dough is a repetitive physical process, and Reed thought she could devise a hand-operated machine – which she did.

     In fact, shortly after the Civil War, a Black congressman from South Carolina -- farmer and teacher George Washington Murray -- was able to cite 92 Black inventors, whose names and achievements he read into the Congressional Record.

    You can learn more about such inventions through this site – with articles and a monthly Newsletter; links to useful sites like Invention Resource International, Sell Idea, Virtual Prototype, and Invention Publicity; and access to our Free Invention Kit, which can help you bring your own invention dream to life.