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Touch-tone telephone, caller ID, fiber-optic capable - These are some of the contributions by Dr. Shirley Jackson, who was the first African-American woman to earn a Ph.D. in nuclear physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1973.

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Light bulb’s carbon filament - Lewis Latimer collaborated with Thomas Edison during his career. He also invented the railroad car bathroom.

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Home security system - Marie Van Brittan Brown was actually a nurse. Her original device consisted of peepholes, a camera, monitors, and a two-way microphone.

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Pacemaker, IBM computers, burglar-proof cash register - Otis Boykin greatly improved the pacemaker circuit after he lost his mother to cardiac failure. Boykin was a prolific inventor who patented 26 inventions.

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Super Soaker - Kids everywhere have Lonnie G. Johnson to thank for this one. Johnson was actually an aerospace engineer for NASA with more than 40 patents under his belt.

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Blood banks - Charles Drew was a physician, surgeon, and medical researcher who played a major role in developing the first large-scale blood banks and blood plasma programs during World War II.

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VoIP -

Marian Croak patented the voice-over Internet protocol (VoIP), among her other 135 patents. The prolific researcher currently has another 100 patents under review. In 2013, she was inducted into Women in Technology International’s hall of fame.

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Shockwave - Lisa Gelobter was an integral part in the development of this technology that formed the beginning of web animation. She currently works at the White House, in the United States Digital Service.

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Gamma radiation mathematical models - J. Ernest Wilkins, Jr. is renowned for his contribution in the nuclear science field. Wilkins is the youngest student to ever attend the University of Chicago at age 13. At 19, he had earned his Ph.D. in mathematics.

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Steam engine lubricator - Elijah McCoy is often regarded as one of the most famous black inventors ever. He devised a method of automating engine’s lubrication, which avoided the constant need to stop to lubricate the train’s engine.

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Traffic signal, gas mask - Garrett Morgan added the yellow light to traffic lights. Before he came into the picture, traffic signals displayed only a "stop" and a "go" sign. He also created the “safety hood” to help firefighters navigate through smoke, and later improved it to have its own air supply.

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Toilet paper holder, sanitary pads - Women everywhere have to thank Mary and Mildred Davidson for their personal hygiene during that time of the month. Life before sanitary pads? No thanks.

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Potato chips - George Crum is most likely the man behind America’s favorite snack, though the details surrounding the origins of potato chips are somewhat hazy. Here is how the story goes: Crum was a cook at Saratoga Springs' elegant Moon Lake Lodge resort when a customer sent his French fries back for being too thickly cut. Crum, annoyed, cut the fries as thinly as he could before frying and sending them back to the customer. The guest loved them, and the dish became known as the Saratoga Chips.

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Automatic gear shift, beer tap - Besides being an inventor with several patents to his name, Richard Spikes was also a capable musician, a barber, and a teacher.

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Golf tee - Before Dr. George Grant patented his invention in 1899, the process of teeing the ball consisted of pinching moist sand to fashion a tee.

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America’s first clock - Stevie Wonder's song ‘Black Man’ is about Benjamin Banneker, the man who gave America its first clock at some point in the mid-1700s.

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Automatic Elevator Doors - Before Alexander Miles, passengers had to manually open and close elevator doors, an invention he patented in 1887.

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Blimp - John Pickering patented the blimp with an electric motor and directional controls in 1900.

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Clothes dryer - George T. Sampson patented an early version of the clothes dryer in 1892.

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Dustpan - Lloyd P. Ray invented the dustpan that included a long handle and steel collection box that allowed dust to accumulate and not have to be thrown away constantly. He patented his invention in 1897.

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Folding chair - John Purdy, along with James R. Sadgwar, are responsible for allowing us to easily carry chairs wherever we go. The pair received the patent for their invention in 1889.

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Gas heating furnace - Alice H. Parker’s design of the heating furnace would help provide central heating in millions of homes. Thanks to her design, which she patented in 1919, people wouldn’t need to store wood and constantly burn it in a traditional furnace.

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Ice cream scooper - Alfred L. Cralle received the patent for the “ice cream mold and disher" in 1897, which consisted of a scoop with a built-in scraper, pretty much what we still use today.

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Ironing board - In her patent application, Sarah Boone wrote that her invention was “particularly adapted to be used in ironing the sleeves and bodies of ladies' garments." She was granted the patent in 1892.

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Lawn mower - John Albert Burr patented the first rotary-blade lawn mower in 1899.

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Lawn sprinkler - Joseph A. Smith patented the lawn sprinkler in 1897 and later patented a second, improved version of his invention.

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Mail box - In 1891, Philip Downing patented what he called a “street letter box,” which consisted of a metal box with four legs.

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Modern lock - Washington Martin’s invention consisted of improvements to a 4,000-year-old Chinese bolt.

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Modern toilet - In 1872, Thomas Elkins patented an improved version of a chamber commode.

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Mop - Thanks to Thomas W. Stewart, we don’t have to be on our hands and knees to clean the floor anymore. He was granted the patent for the mop in 1893.

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Portable pencil sharpener -

John Lee Love was the carpenter and inventor behind the “Love Sharpener,” which he patented in 1897.

See also: Celebrities with African origin

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