Page 16 - Florida Sentinel 2-8-19

Black History
Reasons To Thank A Black Person - Inventions
13. Clothes Dryer - George T. Sampson – Giving laundry baskets a greater sense of purpose since 1892.
14. Dust Pan -
Lloyd P. Ray – Mr. Ray patented the reason we have far fewer back- aches.
15. Ice Cream Scooper -
Alfred L. Cralle – You’ve been screaming, I’ve been screaming, we’ve all been screaming for this since 1897.
16. Ironing Board - Sarah Boone – The reason we no longer iron across a piece of wood balanced on two chairs.
17. Lawn Mower - John Albert Burr – The lawnmower’s best makeover ever brought better traction, rotary blades, and allowed cut- ting closer to buildings.
18. Lawn Sprinkler - Joseph A. Smith – We should honor this man for helping with Father’s Day ideas every year.
19. Mail Box -
Phillip Downing – Be- fore this invention, peo- ple had to make a long trip to the Post Office to mail a letter.
20. Modern Lock - Washington Martin – His patent was an im- provement on the 4,000- year-old Chinese bolt.
21. Modern Toilet - Thomas Elkins – He in- fluenced several major patents, but it’s this one we appreciate most (not to knock the multi-pur- pose table or refrigera- tors for dead bodies).
22. Mop -
Thomas W. Stewart – He’s kept us off our hands and knees since 1893.
23. Portable Pencil Sharpener -
John Lee Love – A car- penter clever with names for his inventions, calling this one the ‘Love Sharp- ener.’
24. Potato Chips - George Crum – You have to love that his last name is Crum.
25. Reversible Baby Stroller -
William Richardson – He’s also the reason wheels move separately. We feel certain there are fewer crying babies in the world because of this man.
26. Super Soaker - Lonnie G. Johnson – Being a NASA engineer is impressive, but we love him for inventing the Super Soaker!
27. Thermostat & Temperature Control - Frederick Jones – His refrigeration equipment made it possible to trans- port blood and food dur- ing World War II.
28. Touch-Tone Tele-
phone -
Dr. Shirley Ann Jack-
son – And that’s not the
only way Dr. Jackson
made our telecommuni-
cations lives easier.
Along with being the first African American woman to earn a PhD from MIT, she gave us the portable fax machine, caller ID, call wait- ing, and the fiber-optic cable.
29. Traffic Light - Garrett Morgan – Three cheers for the red, green and yellow. Mostly for the green!
First Black Woman Pilot Breaking Records At 105
AZELLIA WHITE
At the age of 105, Mrs. Azellia White has been blessed with longevity. She holds the distinction of being the first woman and first Black woman from Texas to serve as a pilot.
Born in Gonzales, Texas, in 1913, Mrs. White married Hulon “Pappy” White, an airplane pilot, in 1936. In 1941, they moved to Tuskegee, Alabama, where Pappy worked as a mechanic with the famed Tuskegee Air- men.
Ms. White said her hus-
band taught her to fly. On March 26, 1946, Mrs. White earned a private pilot’s li- cense.
After World War II came to an end, the couple moved to Houston, Texas. It was there the couple, along with two other pilots, Tuskegee Airmen Ben Stevenson and Elton “Ray” Thomas, opened Sky Ranch Flying Service.
The company offered a flight training program as well as charter flying and a cargo service. The company closed in 1948. However, the owners later founded the Bronze Eagles Flying Club.
After she was inducted into the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame, Houston Independ- ent School District (HISD) named the Aviation Science Lab at Sterling High School in her honor.
Mrs. White has received many awards for her ground- breaking decision to fly, in- cluding recognition by the Houston Area Urban League Guild.
PAGE 4-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2019