Imagine not being recognized as a citizen.ย It might make you feel worthless or small.ย This was the case for many African Americans.ย Thirty-five years and counting we have been recognizing Black History month for the whole month of February.ย Before United States and Canada observed the full month the remembrance started its roots by historian Carter G. Woodson.ย In 1926, Dr. Woodson, a Harvard Ph.D., initiated โNegro History Month.โย He chose the second week in February because it included the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick Douglass.
Black History month is a time for all to reflect on the accomplishmentsโ and historical events achieved by African Americans.
Some of our everyday uses were invented by blacks.ย Letโs take the traffic signal for instance.ย Garrett Morgan, and entrepreneur and inventor, felt compelled to try and solve safety problems of the day.ย Garrett witnessed one too many collisions so he took his turn at reinventing the traffic signal.ย On November 20, 1923 Garrettโs version of the traffic signal was patent in the U.S., Canada and Great Britain.ย Todayโs modern traffic lights are based upon Morganโs original design.ย The traffic light is something we encounter every day.
Rain, snow, sleetโฆ regardless of the weather everyone gets their mail delivered to their house if they have a mailbox.ย People who deliver mail should thank Philip B. Downing for coming up with a new and improved idea of a mailbox.ย Philip referred to his invention as the street letter box and is a form of what is todayโs mailbox.ย All Americans of that matter should be grateful for this invention for it has saved us time and money on gas, for not having to drive to the post office. Many of us take for granted the idea of having a mailbox.ย Philip Downing received a patent on October 27, 1891.ย He designed the mailbox to protect the mail and to make the mailmanโs job easier.ย Other mailboxes of that time were not very secure, and theft and rain damage was a constant to the mail service. Not only did he invent the mailbox use outside of our house but also the public mailbox.
African Americans have created energies and were able to use them productively, even with all the negativies they had to go through.ย Such people like Garrett Morgan and Philip Downing the world is certainly a much safer place and easier ran place.ย Thomas Jefferson expressed that Blacks in the US posed equal intellectual capacity and mental capabilities as those of Whites who were described in the Declaration of Independence.ย All great African American inventors leave behind a legacy of creativity, ingenuity and selflessness that serve to inspire many generations.ย This does not fall short for the creator of DetailXPerts.ย In 2002 Emmanuel Williams, CEO and inventor of DetailXPerts, perfected a way to clean vehicles using steam.ย With the idea coming from his eight year old son, the legacy will live on.
