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In 1976, the celebration was renamed Black History Month and is celebrated in February to honor Frederick Douglass, the famous abolitionist, and supporter of women’s rights, and Abraham Lincoln, the Great Emancipator, who were both born in February.
As supporters of both science and invention, we’re sharing a few of our favorite fun and inspiring African American inventor stories below. You can encourage your own little inventor with an engineering toy from Brackitz!
Born into slavery, George Washington Carver,a.k.a "The Peanut Man" rose to become one of the most prominent scientists of his time. As the head of Tuskegee Institute’s agricultural department, the plant biologist invented more than 300 different products derived from peanuts. In addition to bringing peanut-based makeup, medicine, paints, food products, and other products to market, Carver’s peanut-based products made good use of the low-demand peanut crops saddling Southern sharecroppers, contributing positively to the nation’s economy.
No one knows that necessity is the mother invention better than Madam C.J. Walker, one of the country’s first self-made female millionaires. Born Sarah Breedlove, C.J. suffered from early hair loss, prompting her to invent and promote a line of African American hair products and establish her own laboratory, factory, and beauty school. Walker was also a known philanthropist, contributing vast amounts to scholarship programs, elderly housing, the NAACP, and other programs.
We all feel a little bit safer at home, thanks to Marie Van Brittan Brown’s invention! Creator of the first closed-circuit television security system, the predecessor of the modern-day home security system, Brown’s version even allowed users to unlock their front doors with remote control. In 1966!
More recently, NASA aerospace engineer Lonnie Johnson, who worked on both the Galileo Jupiter Prove and the Mars Observer, invented the Super Soaker! A tinkerer since childhood, Lonnie and his father built all kinds of toys when he was a child, including a lawnmower-powered go-kart they raced on the highway! The Super Soaker is a wonderful toy for boys and girls of all ages!
Building STEM toys like Brackitz are a great way to encourage creativity, curiosity, and experimentation, the foundation of an inventive spirit like those featured here. STEM toys for boys and girls in the home or in the classroom provide positive mental health while learning valuable skills for the 20th century. Order your Brackitz set today!
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Stuck at home with the kids? Raining outside? Daycare closed? Don’t tell me, somebody locked the Grandparents away too!
