8 Things You Didn't Know Were Invented by a Black Woman

We wouldn't have these without them.

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Herstory - This Women’s History Month, we celebrate the ingenious Black women who gave us life-changing inventions like central heating and caller ID. Because your women’s history means nothing if it’s not intersectional. By Kenrya Rankin(Photo: Tetra Images/Corbis)

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Herstory

Caller ID - Without Dr. Shirley Jackson — who was also the first Black woman to earn a doctorate from MIT — you wouldn’t be able to screen calls. Yup, she invented the technology behind the feature that makes sure you “DO NOT ANSWER” when your ex doubles back (‘cause they always double back).(Photo: JGI/Jamie Grill/Blend Images/Corbis)

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Caller ID

Synthetic Brush - You have Lyda Newman to thank for your laid edges. She invented this bathroom counter staple in 1898. Before that, brushes were made exclusively of animal hair (ick). She says, “You’re welcome.”(Photo: Jose Luis Pelaez Inc/Blend Images/Corbis)

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Synthetic Brush

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Curling Iron

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Potty Seat - If you’ve ever potty trained a toddler, you have Lula O. Carter to thank for the little seat that captured the kid’s attention. In 1960, Carter patented what she called the portable nursery chair to make it easier for little ones to use the bathroom when there’s no toilet in sight.(Photo: Marden Smith/Corbis)

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Potty Seat

Damper - If you’re fancy, you might have a fireplace in your home. Virgie Ammons’s damper keeps cold air, dust and ash from being sucked down the chimney and into your space. She patented it in 1974.(Photo: 68/George Doyle/Ocean/Corbis)

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Damper

Central Heating - You’re likely warm and cozy with bae while you read these words, and you have Alice H. Parker to thank. She created and patented a gas-heating furnace in 1919 that made central heating a reality.(Photo: MiltonBrown/Corbis)

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Central Heating

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Closed-Circuit Television

Laserphaco Probe - So you’ve probably never heard of it, but your granny owes her successful cataract surgery to this tool, which made the procedure faster and more accurate. It was created by Dr. Patricia Bath in 1981.(Photo: KidStock/Blend Images/Corbis)

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Laserphaco Probe