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Light bulb filaments
Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, but it might not have taken off without African-American inventor Lewis Latimer.Latimer invented the carbon filament, which made light bulbs far more efficient and affordable. AND he patented the electric lamp. Not only that, Lewis worked with Alexander Graham Bell in drafting the telephone patent. -
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Folding cabinet bed
Sarah Goode became the first black woman to receive a U.S. Patent. Goode was born into slavery in 1850, and after the Civil War, she moved to Chicago and opened a furniture store. It was there she came up with an idea that would bring more urban residents with limited space into her store. She invented a folding cabinet bed. By day, the piece of furniture could be used by as a desk, but at night, it could be folded out into a bed. -
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The Modern-Day Fireproof Safe
When Henry Brown patented a “receptacle for storing and preserving papers on November 2, 1886” This was a fire and accident safe container made of forged metal, which could be sealed with a lock and key. Anyone who has ever had important documents stored in a safe and saved in a fire can thank Brown. -
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The ironing board.
Sarah Boone was born in the era of slavery and went on to patent the very first ironing board in 1892.The design of this ubiquitous household item hasn't changed since Boone came up with it. -
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The ice cream scoop.
African-American businessman Alfred L. Cralle patented the very first ice cream scoop that included a lever to neatly serve your scoop. -
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Sprinklers
Joseph H. Smith came up with the first ever design for a lawn sprinkler, which is similar to those still used today.Smith was thinking ahead of his time, since he patented his sprinkler all the way back in 1897, before most families had running water. -
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The dustpan and brush.
African-American inventor Lloyd P. Ray had the simple yet brilliant idea of creating a tray with a handle to collect all the trash and dust you've swept.His version involved a tray with a matching brush that fitted into the tray's handle - a design that hasn't changed in the 120 years since he invented it. -
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Vacuum powered by Engine
British civil engineer H. Cecil Booth was the original maker of the powered vacuum cleaner. It was so popular that people would take their home vacuum and use it in their workplace. Cleaning became easier and done in a much faster pace. -
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First Commercially successful electric toaster
Frank Shailor made the D-12, the first successful plug-in toaster. The first one just had a solitary warming component. It only cocked one bread at a time and each slice had to be turned by hand so that both sides are tested. -
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Electric dishwasher
The very first electric dishwasher was invented by the Walker brothers of Philadelphia. The washer comprised of a pulley and a belt so the appliance could function automatically. During this time it still needed to be emptied by hand as well as filed with water. This was a great start of making washing dishes additional more convenient for the modern day household. -
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Gas heating furnaces
Alice Parker invented and patented the gas furnace. Parker's furnace changed the way we heat our homes, meaning that heat can be stored and distributed more efficiently. -
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Automatic toaster
"Toastmaster." Cool name right? Well this was what the first Automatic toaster was called.
This was noteworthy for modern households because it allowed women to other things a s they cooked. It saved lots of energy and time. -
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Garbage disposal
John W. Hammes was the creator of the original garbage disposal. He made it in his own basement so that his wife would not have to work as hard to clean up the kitchen. A well know nickname for this creation is the "electric pig" when first introduced by the Emerson Electric Company. Great creation it cleaning up faster gives more time to work on something else. -
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Gilbreth’s Practical kitchen
Brooklyn Borough Gas Company with a great influence from Gilbreth develop this kitchen. It was filled with many new gas fueled appliances. This kitchen allowed abundant of storage space, stoves put side by side and an overall easy “flow” in the kitchen. Geberth had a passion about more space and a kitchen been organized which makes it easy to get cooking finished. -
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Washing machine
John W. Chamberlain of Bendix Corporation developed a device that permissible a washing machine to wash, rinse, and remove water from garments in a single operation. Before this most people just used their hands to clean their clothing. -
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Model T-7, Electric refrigerator
Lillian Gilbreth designed an electric refrigerator to put frequently used items like eggs in special containers up front. Being able to store things for days is something we take for granted. Back then, you had to use what you had because there wasn’t easy ways to store food for days. This was a great invention and advancement in technology. -
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Electric dryer
TJ. Ross Moore built an oil-heated drum in a shed next to his house, thereby creating the first clothes dryer. He made this so his mother would not have to hang clothing outside to dry. Yet, he has help us all. -
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Z1 computer
Konrad Zuse - Z1 created the First freely programmable computer. I feel that this invention talks for itself. Without having this first invention, we would not be where we are today with computer advancement. -
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Circular routing
Circular routing aka work triangle. In an efficiently planned kitchen, the perimeter of the triangle formed by stove, sink, and refrigerator can’t be greater than 26 feet, with a total distance of 5.5 feet between appliances. This would help with more organization in the kitchen, and in turn allow for more productive work. This concept is still used by designers today. -
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Touch-Tone Phone
Shirley Ann Jackson made several telecommunications breakthroughs while employed with Bell Laboratories. Her scientific discoveries led to the touch-tone phone, caller I.D. and call waiting. Jackson was also the first black woman to graduate with a Ph.D. from M.I.T. -
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Closed Circuit TV
Marie Van Brittan Brown created a device in 1966 that would be the precursor to home surveillance as we know it. She connected a motorized security camera to a monitor, where one could view images from the camera. -
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Home security systems.
Marie Van Brittan Brown designed the very first home security system in 1969.Van Brittan Brown's system included four peepholes and a moving camera at the front door. A TV allowed you to see who was at the door from your bedroom or living rooms, you could talk to them via a two-way microphone, and a remote control allowed you to open the door. Or, if you didn't like the looks of the person at the door, you could push a button to alert a security firm. It all sounds ultra-high tech for 1969! -
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The hot comb
The first person ever to patent a hot comb in the US was Annie Minerva Turnbo Pope Malone aka Madam C.J. Walker's, the daughter of former slaves. -
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The squeeze mop
Thomas W. Stewart didn't invent the original mop, BUT he did invent the all-important clamping device on mops that allows you to squeeze them out without getting your hands dirty.Stewart's squeeze mop is another one of those inventions that was so right the first time that it's never been substantially improved on. -
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Bluetooth technology
Bluetooth technology was unveiled in 1999, but it wasn't until the start of the 21st century that manufacturers began to adopt it in mobile phones and computers. Now, with more connected gadgets than ever, Bluetooth has become an important part of our daily lives. -
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Apple iPod/itunes
In 2001, before Apple and Samsung started bombing the world with their superb smartphone devices of the last five or six years there was the iPod, a small gadget that changed how we viewed and played music. To make a long story short, the MP3 was introduced to the world and CDs, which had previously replaced cassettes, which replaced vinyl records before them, joined them in the dusty archives of our music tech history. -
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Roomba the robot vacuum cleaner
The Roomba robot vacuum cleaner might not have changed our world significantly, but it definitely made our life just a little bit easier. -
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NINTENDO WII
Amid fierce rivalry in the games console industry between Sony's PlayStation and Microsoft's Xbox during the early 2000s, Nintendo went off-piste and created a console that allowed gamers to get physically involved in the virtual games they were playing. The Wii controller detects movement in three dimensions, and can be used as a fitness device.
People now used it to work out and stay active in the house. -
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iPhone
The iPhone from Apple Inc was released in June of 2007 and radically altered the way mobile phones are used personally and in business.