BY: Eddie nguyen
Driven by the American Industrial Revolution, the United States saw a boom in technological advancements over the past century, which was crucial in shaping the modern American way of life. At the spearhead of these advancements were the monumental, often thankless, efforts of African-American creators.
Mark Dean is an African-American computer engineer who made his mark at the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), leading the design team that made the world’s first one-gigahertz computer processor chip in 1999. This invention was a breakthrough in modern computing as it showed potential for ultrafast computing in micro-chip form. Previously, computer chips had only been capable of running at about half this speed, making them slow and limiting their scope of use. Since then, modern computers have tripled or quadrupled this number, allowing them to be capable of performing complex tasks such as machine learning or playing video games. If not for Dean’s invention, the digital and physical world that now heavily relies on it would be running at half-speed.
The world would not be quite as safe without Marie Van Brittan Brown and her invention of the modern home security system. Living in an unsafe neighborhood, Brown was no stranger to the threat of home invasions. She, therefore, devised her own solution in 1966: a security system that would allow her to monitor her doorway, speak to visitors at a safe distance, and contact the police with the push of a button. This clever system would eventually develop into modern-day closed-circuit television (CCTV), which has revolutionized public security. Nearly 60 years later, the principle of remote monitoring is still employed in modern home security systems.
Another African-American inventor who contributed to modern-day safety was Garrett Morgan. After seeing a horrible car crash at an intersection, Morgan created an early version of a traffic light in 1923 that would go on to help save countless lives. Prior to his invention, drivers would yell and use hand signals to communicate with one another. This created an insurmountable number of problems and made driving extremely dangerous. Heralded as “the Black Edison,” Morgan was also responsible for creating an early version of the gas mask, which he began selling nationwide in 1914. As he knew the device would not be received well if its purchasers knew he was Black, he resigned to demonstrating the device using hired white actors. Despite this prejudice, his “safety hood” device was widely popular and went on to save the lives of millions.
The lives of these indispensable inventors have been woven by the cloth of courage and adorned with curiosity. They pushed for progress that supported millions of lives despite the prejudices they faced from society. As the world moves forward into a new era, it can look back to the precedents set by creators like Dean, Brown, and Morgan to inspire creativity and curiosity.
