Photos: African-American Inventors

Many of us couldn't live without their inventions.

Garrett Morgan - Garrett Morgan was compelled to improve stop-and-go traffic safety after witnessing an accident between an automobile and horse-drawn carriage — subsequently creating the nation's first three-position traffic.(Photo: LOC) 
George Crum - Restaurant owner George Crum unintentionally invented the potato chip during his tenure as a chef at an upscale lodge in Saratoga, New York. When a customer sent their potatoes back to the kitchen, grumbling they were too thick and soft, an irritated Crum sliced a thin new batch, frying them until they were crunchy and brown. Surprisingly, the crisps were well-received, becoming one of the resort’s most desired treats.(Photo: Courtesy of Saratoga Chips) 
Jack Johnson - While serving a one-year prison sentence for violating the Mann Act, a law often used to prohibit Black men from traveling with white women in the early 20th century, Jack Johnson improved on the traditional wrench, patenting his tool in 1922. Johnson was also the first Black heavyweight boxing champion, garnering more press than all other notable Black men combined during his reign.(Photo: PA Photos /Landov)
Dr. James E. West - In 1960, Bell Laboratories physicists James West and Gerhard Sessler were challenged to produce a compact, inexpensive microphone to replace the more costly versions utilized in most telephones. Two years later, they developed the Electroacoustic Transducer Electret Microphone, a small, durable, moderately priced mic that’s still employed today in tape recorders, camcorders, baby monitors and hearing aids.(Photo: Will Kirk) Jan E. Matzeliger - After 10 grueling years of steady and patient labor, Jan E. Matzeliger, a former sailor from Dutch Guiana, transformed the shoe industry with his invention of the Shoe-Lasting Machine. This automatic device produced 150 to 700 pairs of shoes daily, 14 times as many as expert cobblers could churn out by hand. Matzeliger's achievement made footwear more affordable for Americans.(Photo: AN ROSENSTRAUCH/MCT /Landov)

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George Crum - Restaurant owner George Crum unintentionally invented the potato chip during his tenure as a chef at an upscale lodge in Saratoga, New York. When a customer sent their potatoes back to the kitchen, grumbling they were too thick and soft, an irritated Crum sliced a thin new batch, frying them until they were crunchy and brown. Surprisingly, the crisps were well-received, becoming one of the resort’s most desired treats.(Photo: Courtesy of Saratoga Chips) 

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