Page 16 - Florida Sentinel 2-11-22

Black History: The History Behind The Names
Things You Probably Didn’t Know Were Created By Black Inventors
This Black History Month, we’ve highlighted inventions that the world would not have if it weren’t for Black inventors.
Gas Mask
Garret Morgan devel- oped what he called the safety hood after noticing how many firefighters were killed by smoke on the job. The hood, which went over the head, featured tubes connected to wet sponges that filtered out smoke and provided fresh oxygen.
Protective Mailbox
Philip B. Downing cre- ated a mailbox design that featured an outer door and an inner safety door to avoid parcels being stolen. This safety device allowed mail- boxes to be set up every- where.
Blood Bank
Charles Richard Drew
became interested in re- searching the preservation of blood when he was study- ing at Columbia University. Drew discovered a method of separating red blood cells from plasma and then stor- ing the two components sep- arately. This new process
allowed blood to be stored for more than a week, which was the maximum at that time. Drew documented these findings in a paper that led to the first blood bank.
Improved Ironing Board
In the late 19th century, the ironing board was im-
proved by Sarah Boone. One of the first Black women in U.S. history to re- ceive a patent, she created a narrower and curved design, making it easier to iron gar- ments. Boone’s design morphed into the modern board that we use today.
PAGE 4-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2022