Page 29 - Florida Sentinel 2-5-16 (2)

Black History: Inventions That Changed The World
BENJAMIN BRADLEY
Benjamin Bradley was born around 1830 as a slave in Maryland. He was able to read and write, and was assigned to work in a printing office. At the age of 16, Bradley began working with scrap he found, modeling it into a small ship.
Eventually, he improved on
his creation until he had built a
working steam engine, made from a piece of a gun-barrel, pewter, pieces of round steel and some nearby junk.
His invention allowed him to be placed in a new job, at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.
In his new position he served as a classroom assistant in the science department, helping to set up and conduct exper- iments, working with chemical gases.
Bradley used the money he saved to build a larger model of his steam engine. Eventually he was able to finish an en- gine large enough to drive the first steam-powered warship at 16 knots. At the time, because he was a slave, he was unable to secure a patent for his engine. His master did, however, allow him to sell the engine and he used that money to pur- chase his freedom.
HENRY BROWN
Henry Brown was an inventor who saw a need for a con- venient and secure way to store money, valuables and important papers. Brown decided to create a safer container and devel- oped a forged-metal container which could be sealed with a lock and key.
He patented his receptacle for storing and preserving papers on November 2, 1886 and it developed into what is now known as a strongbox.
EDWARD LEWIS
Edward Lewis developed a spring gun, which he patented on May 3, 1887. The spring gun was made of a metal tube which sat atop a block of wood with a wire attached to a trigger mechanism. The other end of the wire ran across the ground or was stretched across an area and attached to a post or a tree. Anyone disturbing the wire would cause the gun to discharge, thereby shooting a projec-
tile.
It was created to keep trespassers away.
Spring Gun
GEORGE F. GRANT
On December 12, 1899, George F. Grant patented a golf tee which raised the golf ball (made of rubber at that time) slightly off of the ground, enabling the player greater control with his wooden club and therefore of the direction and speed of the drive. The tee was made of a small wooden peg with a concave piece of rubber on top to hold the ball and in addition to helping with con- trol over the direction of the shot, it also aided in promoting longer drives.
DANIEL McCREE
Daniel McCree created a portable version of the fire es- cape made of wood that could be attached to the windowsill of a home, enabling people within to escape from second and third story levels during a fire.
McCree patented the portable fire escape on November 11, 1890 and it is the basis for similar models used today.
HENRY FAULKNER
In 1890, Henry Faulkner de- cided to work on a problem that caused suffering in people every day – foot problems caused by lack of ventilation inside of shoes. Faulkner devised a method for placing holes in specific locations within the shoe, allowing for ade-
quate circulation and greater comfort. He patented the venti- lated shoe on April 29, 1890.
JACK JOHNSON
Jack Johnson is one of the most interesting inventors ever, not simply because of his inven- tion but more so because of his celebrated and controversial life. Johnson was born on March 31, 1878 in Galveston, Texas under the name John Arthur Johnson.
He began boxing in 1897 and quickly became an accomplished and feared fighter, standing
6’1” and weighing 192 lbs.
Johnson captured the “Colored Heavyweight Champi-
onship of the World” on February 3, 1903 in Los Angeles, Cal- ifornia and became the World Heavyweight Champion in 1908.
Johnson bucked many of the social “rules” and openly dated white women. In 1912, he was arrested for violation of the Mann Act, a law often used to prevent Black men from traveling with white women. He was charged with taking his white girlfriend, Lucille Cameron, across state lines for “im- moral purposes.”
Although they married later in the year, he was convicted and was sentenced to Federal prison for a year, but Johnson and his wife fled to Europe.
Johnson eventually returned to the United States and was sent to Leavenworth Federal Prison in Kansas. While in prison, Johnson found the need for a tool which would help tighten or loosen fastening devices. He therefore crafted a tool and eventually patented it on April 18, 1922, calling it a wrench.
Jack Johnson died on June 10, 1946.
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