Occupation-Inventor
Ben Hardy (1921-1994)
Custom motorcycle builder Ben Hardy was born Benjamin F. Hardy on July 25, 1921, in Los Angeles, California. However, historical...
Arlyne Simon (1986- )
Dr. Arlyne Simon is a biomedical engineer, patented inventor, and author of children’s literature. She was born in 1986 on...
Alexander P. Ashbourne (1820-1915)
Alexander P. Ashbourne was an early inventor. He was born into slavery in Philadelphia around 1820. There are very few...
Samuel Raymond Scottron (ca. 1843-1905)
Samuel Scottron was an inventor of the late 1800s, best known for his invention of the curtain rod. It is...
Leonard C. Bailey (1825-1918)
Leonard Bailey was an African American inventor and businessman in Washington, D.C., in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in 1825 to an impoverished...
Matthew Cherry (1834-?)
Matthew A. Cherry, the inventor of the tricycle, was born on February 5, 1834 in Washington, D.C. While not much is known about...
Thomas Mensah (1950- )
Dr. Thomas Mensah is a world-renowned Ghanaian-American inventor and chemical engineer. Mensah is most well-known for his pioneering innovations in...
Sarah Boone (1832-1904)
Sarah Boone was an American inventor best known for her patented improvements to the ironing board. She was one of the first...
Henry Blair (1807-1860)
Henry Blair was an African-American inventor who, in 1834, became only the second black man to receive a United States patent for...
