There are plenty of items today that have been created by Black people that have changed our lives for the better. 

One of the items that have made a drastic impact on the world is the three-position traffic signal, such as stop, go, and yield. Garret Morgan, a Black man, created it at the age 47, after witnessing car accidents that were often fatal, as well as roads often being congested with horse carriages, street cars, automobiles, bicycles and pedestrians. He decided to make a change on the roads that created a positive outcome. 

Before Morgan’s invention got patented, traffic signals were manually operated by officers with only two instructions such as stop and go, which created a negative driving environment. 

After Morgan’s invention of the three position traffic signal it caused roads to be safer, allowed a better control of traffic, and resulted in less damages to vehicles. Imagine if we still had the stop and go traffic light today, imagine how chaotic and dangerous the roads would be. 

Another great Black invention was the ability to see in the dark, a light bulb. Originally, Thomas Edison was known as the first person to create a light bulb, at 32 years old, but his light bulb wasn’t durable. Unlike Edison’s light bulb, a Black man named Lewis Latimer created one, at the age of 33, that was made out of carbon filament which was better quality and production was cheaper. Latimer’s invention not only improved light bulbs, but also made our world brighter today. 

Whenever you’re in a room, take a chance to look up at the light or lamp and imagine how the room would look if they weren’t there anymore.

Also, think of how it feels when you forget to dry your clothes when you really needed a certain pair of pants or a shirt you needed and imagine you have to wait a full day for it to dry. 

That’s how people felt everyday before automatic dryers were invented. George Sampson was the first Black person to influence automatic dryers, he started making the first model in the 18th century. The first models were called ventilators, and these were made of metal.

The drum had ventilation holes that allowed the heat into them while it was hand cranked over a fire. After a while, America caught on to the idea and started noticing its flaws – it smelled like fire and would occasionally burn clothes. 

But that didn’t stop Sampson from making his invention; he then decided to tweak up the first model and instead of using heat from an open fire he chose to try and put a rack over a stove. These models were used in the 19th century. Today, he is credited for laying ground work for dryers. 

Visualize doing your hair, makeup, or shaving in the mirror and having to adjust your posture, arms and hands every time you need to be able to see a certain spot. Before March 1868, people had to deal with that daily. 

You may be wondering what happened in March 1868. Well let me tell you, Samuel Scottron obtained a patent for his first invention, the dual adjustable mirror. He opened a barber shop in Springfield, Massachusetts, and created this invention due to the fact that his customers had to use hand mirrors to look at their haircuts, and noticed that they weren’t able to see their whole head in the tiny mirror. 

Whenever you come across or use any of these items, reflect on the amazing Black inventors who created them and the lifelong impact they have on your life.