History often edits out people who weren’t allowed access to credit, patents, or formal education. Many of the innovations that keep modern life functioning smoothly came from minds history books rarely mention. In many cases, someone else received the credit, the money, or both.
Still, here are some inventions from people of color that altered industries, homes, and lives.
Bed
The earliest known bed came out of South Africa’s Border Cave. Researchers discovered grass mats layered with ash and bug-repelling plants, compiled as a deliberate effort to create clean, comfortable sleep surfaces. Long before furniture existed, people in this region organized indoor spaces and improved health conditions using natural materials.
Paint Production
People near what’s now Blombos Cave started producing paint nearly 100,000 years ago. They ground ochre, combined it with bone and charcoal, and stored the mixture in seashell containers. This process included using grinding and mixing tools to repeat the method consistently.
Harpoon
Modern harpoons are precision tools found in marine industries, shaped to cut through water and strike fast-moving targets. Their roots go back much further than most people realize. Near the Semliki River in Central Africa, people carved barbed harpoons from bone nearly 90,000 years ago.
Inoculation
Introducing a small amount of virus to build immunity proved effective during Boston’s 1721 smallpox outbreak. The approach came from West African medical knowledge and was explained by Onesimus, an enslaved man living in the city. While Edward Jenner receives credit for making vaccines decades later, this technique already relied on an understanding of immune response that saved lives.
Cotton Gin
Removing seeds from cotton by hand made production painfully slow until a device mechanized the process. Eli Whitney is known for the cotton gin, but his invention was likely inspired by existing ideas, including those used by enslaved people. There’s historical debate and some evidence suggesting that enslaved people had developed rudimentary devices, like comb-like tools, to separate cotton seeds, which may have influenced Whitney’s design.
Folding Bed
Sarah Goode, a furniture maker in Chicago, invented a folding bed in 1885 that helped people make the most of limited space. Her idea converted into a writing desk with storage compartments. She received a U.S. patent for her invention and became one of the first African-American women to do so.
Mechanical Reaper
Grain harvesters revolutionized agriculture in the 1800s, and Cyrus McCormick is credited with patenting the first mechanical reaper. However, Jo Anderson, an enslaved man on the McCormick farm, helped build the prototype and was present at early demonstrations. Though historians debate the extent of his role in the invention’s design, Anderson’s contributions were significant enough to be acknowledged by the McCormick company itself.
Dry Cleaning
Using solvents instead of water made it possible to clean fabrics without shrinking or damaging them. This approach became especially crucial for delicate materials that didn’t hold up under traditional washing. The process, credited to Thomas Jennings, laid the foundation for what we now call dry cleaning.
Three-Light Traffic Signal
A major intersection crash in Cleveland led to a simple yet powerful traffic control upgrade. Existing lights gave just two options—stop or go, which wasn’t enough to keep roads safe. A new version added a third light for caution, thanks to Garrett Morgan, which reduced accidents by giving drivers more time to respond.
Blood Banks
Before blood banks, transfusions had to occur right after donation, which limited emergency use. There was no safe way to store or transport blood over time. During World War II, rising casualties made the need urgent. That’s when Charles Drew responded by developing a method to separate and preserve plasma. He built large-scale blood banks and trained medical teams to manage them.
Protective Mailbox
Patented by Philip B. Downing, a redesigned street mailbox helped protect letters from rain, theft, and tampering. Without it, mail would still need to be hand-delivered or left exposed. The raised form and hinged lid offered a secure drop-off option that didn’t rely on direct handling.
Home Security System
Crime and slow emergency response in 1960s New York pushed one couple to create their own safety solution. Their system had cameras, monitors, microphones, and remote locks to see and speak to people at the door without opening it. Marie Van Brittan Brown styled this setup with her husband.
Refrigerated Trucks
Keeping goods cold in transport now seems routine, with refrigerated trucks moving everything from vaccines to produce worldwide. In the 1930s, that wasn’t the case—ice was unreliable, and spoilage was common. Frederick McKinley Jones changed that by inventing a refrigeration unit that attached directly to vehicles.
Automatic Elevator Doors
Have you ever feared stepping into an elevator and finding no car there? That was once a real risk when doors had to be opened manually. But then Alexander Miles introduced a mechanism that automatically opened and closed both the elevator and shaft doors based on the car’s position.
Laserphaco Probe
Ophthalmologist Patricia Bath created a new approach to cataract surgery that prioritized both safety and accessibility. Her laser-based tool improved accuracy and reduced complications, which helped patients recover faster and with fewer risks. She focused on vision disparities seen in low-income communities and worked to modify outcomes through innovation.