12 year old enslaved boy, Edmond Albius, invented the technique that made the vanilla industry possible. He revolutionized the cultivation of vanilla.
He made it possible for us to enjoy treats like Vanilla Ice Cream!
George Crum invented the Potato chips. Thanks to him, our mindless television watching became a bit more delicious!
Lonnie Johnson, NASA engineer, invented the Super Soaker. He made your childhood hot summers fun!
George Washington Carver overcame slavery to achieve fame as a scientist, botanist, and educator. He invented over 300 uses for peanuts and he’s responsible for much more. He's credited for the idea of crop rotation to improve soil health.
Unlike other agricultural researchers of his time, Dr. Carver saw the need to devise practical farming methods. He wanted to coax farmers away from cotton to soil-enhancing, protein-rich crops as soybeans and peanuts.
Dr. Patricia Era Bath, 1981. Inventor of the Laserphaco Probe, used worldwide in eye surgery to remove cataracts. Bath founded the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness.
She restored sight to millions of people suffering from cataracts.
For all those who love baking, but want the task to be made easy as possible. Anna M. Mangin foresaw your needs. She invented the pastry fork in 1891!
Mary Beatrice Kenner changed the world of feminine care with the invention of the sanitary belt, the forerunner of sanitary pads.
Her creation was considered to be the first form of modern menstruation protection.
Joseph H. Smith invented the Lawn sprinkler.
Through his invention he saved ya'll many hours dragging long hoses across enormous lawns.
Garrett T Morgan invented the Gas Mask. His invention saved countless lives.
He also invented the improved traffic lights, sewing machine and, hair-straightening product.
Richard Spikes patented the improved automatic gear shift and the automatic brake system and the turn signal for you all to Drive Safely!
He also patented a beer-tapper thats used on keg barrels.
Thomas Edison lightbulb was too hot and had a short lifespan and wasn’t efficient for homes and businesses. Lewis Latimer invented the brighter and efficient lightbulb.
Factually, a black man took the world out of darkness. Your perception of reality is white deception.
John Albert Burr invented the modified lawnmower as we know today. Though he did not invent the very first lawnmower.
In 1899, he patented an improved rotary blade lawn mower. He designed a lawn mower with traction wheels and a rotary blade that was designed to not easily get…
…plugged up from lawn clippings. John Albert Burr also improved the design of lawn mowers by making it possible to mow closer to building and wall edges. He was issued U.S. patent 624,749.
The first home security system and CCTV was invented by a black nurse, Marie Van Brittan Brown.
Thanks to her, we can all feel safer in our homes.
Thomas Jennings becomes the first black to receive a patent for his invention. He invented a dry-cleaning process called 'dry scouring', a forerunner of today’s dry-cleaning process.
Otis Frank Boykin invented many devices. One being the control unit for the heart pacemaker. Responsible for saving millions of lives daily. #BlackHistoryMonth
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On this day in 1969, the Historic ‘Wyoming Black 14’ Protests Began.
14 black football players at the University of Wyoming were kicked off the team for trying to protest against Brigham Young University because of the Mormon Church ban on Black men in the priesthood
THREAD!
The players protested playing a game with Brigham Young University (BYU) because of the Church of Jesus Christ of LDS ban on black men holding the priesthood in the church, and other racial restrictions. Mormons believe black people are cursed with the mark of Cain.
The Wyoming Cowboys had won three consecutive Western Athletic Conference (WAC) championships, and they were considered as the best football team to ever play for the university in 1969
When the Zulu People of South Africa 🇿🇦 defeated the British 🇬🇧
—A THREAD—
In 1879, the British army invaded the independent & previously friendly Zulu kingdom, which had been founded by the formidable Nguni warrior Shaka Zulu in 1818.
Shaka had been the first proper king in South Africa, in that he managed to unite almost 800 Eastern Nguni–Bantu clans under his rule, displacing the rest.
He was also the first to establish a proper army, which he divided into regiments called impis armed with assegais and iklwas – the former a traditional long-poled spear to use from a distance, the latter a remodelled short-poled version which was lethal in hand-to-hand combat.
In Louisiana, black women were put in cells with male prisoners and some became pregnant
All children born in the penitentiary became property of the state
At 10 years they would be auctioned off. The proceeds were used to fund schools for white kids
THREAD
Before the Civil War, most prisoners in the South were white. The punishment of enslaved African Americans was generally left up to their owners. Louisiana, however, did imprison enslaved people for "serious" crimes, generally involving acts of rebellion against the slave system.
A number of these imprisoned slaves were women. Penitentiary records show a number of women imprisoned for "assaulting a white," arson, or attempting to poison someone, most likely their enslavers.
Africa is portrayed as a continent without history before slavery and colonialism. African History isn't known by many people compared to the history of Europe, Americas, and Asia.
Some of the world's great civilisations such as Mali flourished in Africa.
A THREAD!
In the early periods(1500s), Africans participated in extensive international trading networks and intrans-oceanic travel.
"Until the lion learns how to write, every story will glorify the hunter" (African Proverb)
THE MALI EMPIRE
Founded by King Sundiata Keita, and also known as the richest civilisation in
West Africa. It boasted excellent law & order, agriculture and mining, the largest library in Africa, and the richest man in history: Mansa Musa!
Racist US military police attacked black US troops on British soil.
US military authorities demanded the town’s pubs impose a colour bar, the local landlords responded with signs that read “Black Troops Only” which pissed them off.
A THREAD
In 1943 Black American soldiers faced off with white American Military police during World War 2 on British soil. Black American soldiers had to fight their own white American soldiers, while in England, where they were fighting the world war.
Why? Because the town, Bamber Bridge in Lancashire wasnt segregated so they treated the black soldiers like all other races, BUT back in America segregation still existed so essentially the American army went to someone else’s country & demanded they adopt their racist practices
American medicine has been built upon the abuse of black people with no oversight.
I'll revisit a few cases of how Black people were abused in the field of medicine.
A THREAD!
The Tuskegee syphilis Experiment: It began in 1932. In the syphilis study, doctors were trying to find out more about syphilis test subjects (impoverished African American men), and didn't treat them for syphilis even after they knew penicillin could cure the infection.
The infected men involved in the study were never made aware of their condition upon diagnosis and believed they were being treated for "bad blood".