Vise Library celebrates Black History Month: Inventors

On the last day of this series of blogs we will be celebrating inventors.

George Washington Carver
George Washington Carver found over 300 hundred uses for peanuts and over hundreds of uses of soybeans, pecans and sweet potatoes.  He helped the South grow more than just cotton.  The South relied on the farm industry to be profitable. Carver's discoveries helped this area become successful in agriculture.   He gave away his discoveries freely and made sure to pass them on in order to be helpful.  He donated his life savings to continue research in agriculture.

• George Washington Carver in the Vise Library: Checkout the book George Washington Carver located at 925 C331h

Madam CJ Walker
She invented products to help African American women treat their hair.  Madam CJ Walker believed that helping women care for their hair would help women feel good about themselves.  She started out selling her hair products door to door and performing demonstrations of their uses.  She became the first African American woman to become a millionaire.  Made CJ Walker was a pioneer philanthropist by donating time and money to various causes.

• Madam CJ Walker in the Vise Library: Checkout the movie Madame CJ Walker, Entrepreneur located at 973.0496073 W178 

Lonnie G. Johnson
Johnson holds over forty patents mostly dealing with Nuclear Engineering.  He began his career with the Air Force and eventually working for NASA.  However, Lonnie's most famous invention is the SuperSoaker.  He invented the pressurized water gun through tinkering with a nozzle on his bathroom sink.  His invention of the SuperSoaker has generated over $200 million and sold over 40 million water guns.

• Lonnie Johnson in the Vise Library: Read about Lonnie Johnson and other African-American inventors in the eBook The entrepreneurial spirit of African American inventors by clicking on the "links" tab on this page. 

Sources Consulted:
http://inventors.about.com/od/cstartinventors/a/GWC.htm
http://www.mygrowthplan.org/Biographies/MadamC.J.Walker.htm
http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/johnson.html

We hoped you have enjoyed and learned something from our series on Black History Month.  If you have any questions where materials on other key individuals dealing with Black History Month, please see the library front desk!