This Black History Month, I’m sharing stories of black inventors and their contributions to our lives with products we’ve come to know and love. Follow to learn about other black inventors and their products throughout the month!

Do you use smart light bulbs? You can schedule when they come on, change the colors to set the mood in a room or dim them from your phone. There were many innovations that paved the way for smart lighting.

I learned this is possible thanks to the invention of an African-American inventor, electrical pioneer and patent expert. We often hear about Thomas Edison as the inventor of the light bulb. They worked together at General Electric. Latimer’s invention of the carbon filament improved the incandescent light bulb.

The Inventor: Lewis H. Latimer
An African American man, Lewis H. Latimer invented invented a more efficient and durable electric light bulb with a carbon filament

The Product: Carbon Light Bulb Filament
U.S. Patent No. 252,386: Process of Manufacturing Carbons (1882)

The Pain Point
Earlier filaments used more incendiary materials, like bamboo, and the light bulbs died after just a few days.

The Solution
Latimer’s filament used carbon which increased the life span and practicality of light bulbs and was a more affordable option to an incandescent light bulb.

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Do you use smart light bulbs? I would love to hear in the comments!

This Black History Month, I’m sharing stories of black inventors and their contributions to our lives with products we’ve come to know and love. Follow to learn about other black inventors and their products throughout the month!

Have you captured any audio recently? Whether while recording a video for TikTok, creating a video for YouTube or creating an introduction video for LinkedIn, a special sound-capturing feature is used.

I learned this is possible thanks to the invention of an African-American inventor and acoustician, who holds over 250 patents. Today, the technology he created exists in over 90 percent of all microphones produced for cell phones, baby monitors, hearing aids, and video cameras.

The Inventor: James E. West
An African American man, James E. West invented the foil electret microphone which paved the way for the sound-capturing feature in cell phones

The Product: Foil Electret Microphone
U.S. Patent No. 3,118,022: Electroacoustic Transducer (1964)

The Pain Point
West was tasked with creating a more sensitive and compact microphone while working at Bell Labs in 1960 alongside his colleague Gerhard M. Sessler.

The Solution
West invented the foil electret microphone, which was considerably less expensive to produce than the typically used condenser microphones.

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Which devices do you have that use this technology to capture audio? I would love to hear below!

This Black History Month, I’m sharing stories of black inventors and their contributions to our lives with products we’ve come to know and love. Follow to learn about other black inventors and their products throughout the month!

Do you own a smart thermostat? You can use it to set the temperature in your home from your phone, schedule preferred temperatures based on your arrival time or enhance heating and cooling to conserve energy.

In learning about home automation products, I never knew an African-American woman made the technology possible with her invention.

The Inventor: Alice H. Parker
An African-American woman, Alice H. Parker invented the heating furnace which paved the way for modern heating and thermostats.

The Product: Heating Furnace
U.S. Patent No. 1,325,905: Heating Furnace (1919)

The Pain Point
Parker was a native of Morristown, New Jersey and grew tired of cold winters due to the lack of heat distribution from a fireplace in her home.

The Solution
Parker invented a natural gas-powered furnace that evenly distributed heat throughout the house. She also created special air ducts that could be individually controlled from each room.

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Do you own a smart thermostat? Did you know that Alice H. Parker invented the heating furnace? Let me know below!

This Black History Month, I’m sharing stories of black inventors and their contributions to our lives with products we’ve come to know and love. Follow to learn about other black inventors and their products throughout the month!

These days, we use our smartphone to open doors remotely, see when a package arrives or see who rang the doorbell while working upstairs.

I’ve spent a lot of time understanding home security products but I never knew an African-American woman named Marie Van Brittan Brown made this technology possible with her invention.

The Inventor: Mary Van Brittan Brown
An African American nurse, Mary Van Brittan Brown, devised an early security unit for her own home which paved the way for today’s security systems.

The Product: Home Security System
U.S. Patent No. 3,482,037: Home Security System Utilizing Television Surveillance issued to Brown and her husband in 1969

The Pain Point
Brown worked late hours as a nurse and wanted to feel safe when home alone in Queens, New York while her husband was away or working.

The Solution
Brown created a product to put her mind at ease. She invented a system that used a camera to see who was at the front door without opening it, displaying the camera’s view on a monitor.

Other features of the system included a two-way microphone and intercom system to speak to anyone at the door, a button to unlock the door, and a button that would contact the police or security.

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Do you own a home security system? Did you know that Mary Van Brittan Brown invented it? Let me know below!