Michael Jackson’s invention and patented a special shoe

Michael Jackson co-designed and patented a special shoe meant to provide anti-gravity illusions by nailing down dancers when necessary. Three neurosurgeons from the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, India — Nishant S. Yagnick, Manjul Tripathi and Sandeep Mohindra — have revisited how the King of Pop achieved the 45-degree lean while keeping his spine straight, not just on Smooth Criminal (Official Video), but in live performances around the world. The paper published (PDF) in the Journal of Neurosurgery.

Margot Lee Shetterly is an American non-fiction writer who has also worked in investment banking and media startups. Her first book, Hidden Figures: The Story of the African-American Women Who Helped Win the Space Race, is about African-American women mathematicians working at NASA who were instrumental to the success of the United States space...

Marjorie Stewart-Joyner

In 1939, she started looking for an easier way for women to curl their hair, taking her inspiration from a pot roast cooking with paper pins to quicken preparation time. Joyner experimented initially with these paper rods and soon designed a table that could be used to curl or straighten hair by wrapping hair. This method allowed hairstyles to...

Miriam Benjamin

On July 17, 1888 she obtained a patent for her invention, the Gong and Signal Chair for Hotels. The chair would "reduce the expenses of hotels by decreasing the number of waiters and attendants, to add to the convenience and comfort of guests and to obviate the necessity of hand clapping or calling aloud to obtain the services of pages." The...

Marie Van Brittan Brown

Inspired by how long it would take the police to arrive in her neighborhood, Brown invented the first form of a home security system.

Lyda D. Newman

She invented a hairbrush that could be taken apart easily for cleaning. The hairbrush she invented is described in her patent as "simple and durable in construction" and being "very effective when in use". The bristle holder could be removed from the back and be cleaned. Very little information is known about her personal life.

Garrett Augustus Morgan Sr

Garrett Morgan patented a safety hood and smoke protector after seeing firefighters struggling from the smoke they encountered in the line of duty and hearing about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.

Black Scientists and Inventors (Animated)

A kid-friendly, animated video on the lives and legacies of Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, George Washington Carver, Madam C.J. Walker, Garrett A. Morgan, and Mae Jemison.

First African American Patent Holders

Innovators were never properly recognized for transforming the world we live in

Masters of Invention

Actor Glynn Turman introduces black men and women whose inventions have contributed to society from the time of slavery to today.

20th and 21st Century

A video presentation about famous black men and women inventors of the 20th and the 21st century.

Inventions and Discoveries

Dr. Benjamin Carson: Great African American inventors concealed by History - Newscast Media