Black accomplishments 101: I never realized that black folks had invented so many useful things that we take for granted today.

American Thinker ^ | 06/01/2026 | Bill Ponton

[SeekAndFind]

Ever since high school, we have all been made aware of black accomplishments with each occasion of black history month in February. There was Harriet Tubman’s railroad and Rosa Parks’s bus seat, but most memorable of all, was George Washington Carver who invented the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, which was a mainstay of kid’s lunches until nervous white mothers had it banned from schools.

Apart from those recollections, I have not given much thought to the cultural legacy of blacks, except for their music, dance, and comedy. However, around the time of George Floyd, I started to hear common refrains that blacks had built this country. The authors of the New York Times 1619 project made that clear to everyone who read their article. I got to thinking that maybe I missed something in high school during black history month. It was then that I ran on internet search on black accomplishments, and I was astounded to discover that I had overlooked quite a few. I never realized that black folks had invented so many useful things that we take for granted today.

Topping the list of 50 inventions by black people is traffic light by a black man named Garrett Morgan. Invented in 1923, Morgan’s three-position traffic signal made roads safer for drivers and pedestrians. Technically, it was only the yellow light that he invented, but it still counts. Interestingly, white and black people construe the meaning of yellow light differently. Whites are more inclined to exercise caution approaching a yellow light while black people take it as a cue to speed up before the light changes red.

In the number three spot is Garrett Morgan again with his invention in 1912 of a gas mask that helped protect workers and soldiers from smoke and hazardous gases. .

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TOPICS: Business/Economy; History; Society
KEYWORDS: americaninventions; americans; americansphincter; blacks; georgefloyd; inventions; satire

[fruser1]

banned from schools

This is my theoretical reason why so many peanut allergies today.

[SeekAndFind]

Other notable inventions:

At number 12 and 13, we have the invention of the dustpan and self-wringing mop. What a tragedy that black creativity and innovation seem to be a relic of the past.

Coming in at number 29 is George Crum’s invention of the potato chip. George has probably done more to bring happiness to countless generations of the workforce who have potato chips and a coke as a snack during their work and leisure time. Hats off to you, George Crum.

Black women also owe a lot of thanks to number 34, Christina Jenkins, who invented a synthetic hair weave technique in the 1950s, revolutionizing the black beauty industry. Except for a period during the black power era with the brief ascendancy of the Afro hair style, the hair weave has been an integral part of black women’s fashion.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, see here for the others:

https://blackamericaweb.com/2026/02/05/black-inventions-america/item/21

[Opinionated Blowhard]

People joke about George Washington Carver inventing so many things from a peanut. But if you read his story, its inspiring. He said he learned how to invent so many things from the book. When asked which book, he said the Bible. Blacks were on their way to shaking off the chains of slavery and developing an entrepreneurial culture by the early 1900s. Then the Welfare State and Great Society happened and destroyed it all.

[Bullish]

The knockout game?

[God luvs America]

“Coming in at number 29 is George Crum’s invention of the potato chip.”

This would be #1 for me!!!

[PGR88]

Black women also owe a lot of thanks to number 34, Christina Jenkins, who invented a synthetic hair weave technique in the 1950s, revolutionizing the black beauty industry.

Its a good list, although I am having deep reservations about this one.....

[NorthMountain]

https://www.blackinventionmyths.com/

[BenLurkin]

American Thinker can’t stop being racist, even when it’s trying to be positive.

[Sicon]

Now do the list of things invented by white people.

[Tell It Right]

Twerking curriculum for kids?

[TheThirdRuffian]

All up there with white inventions like the internal combustion engine, the steam engine, representative democracy, electricity, the solid state circuit, the telephone, computers, antibiotics, the scientific method, and basically everything else.

[Languager]

“Now do the list of things invented by white people.”

Really, it’s okay if people want to talk about things black people invented. You don’t need to feel threatened. You’re going to be okay, I promise.

[Az Joe]

Black history month is February.

[Tell It Right]

Now do the list of things invented by white people.

Hmmm.....

1) Insider trading.
2) Clapping without rhythm.
3) Country rap.

[changeitback440]

car jacking and fast food brawls

[NorthMountain]

it’s okay if people want to talk about things black people invented.

Assuming, of course, that they're telling the truth.

If they're lying, distorting history, or deluded ... then it's very much NOT "okay".

[Codeflier]

I call BS. Every white guy I know speeds up at yellow lights. What’s this use caution crap? If you don’t speed up, you might not make it through for another 3 minutes. Time is money people. In fact, it drives me crazy when someone in front of me slows down when the light turns yellow, when their car and 2 or 3 more behind them could have easily made it through.

Another tip...if there is one of those countdown crosswalk timers visible as you approach the light, the light will usually (not always) turn yellow the second the counter gets to zero. So if I see it under 10 seconds, I also start speeding up to ensure I make the light.

I don’t know what kind of white people this guy is talking about, but I don’t know them. I have friends that push it much further than I do even.

[ansel12]

At one time in my young life I did a deep dive into black history, book after book of it, and of course countless articles, and it had the negative effect of revealing that there wasn’t much there to work with, and book after book meant reading the same slim pickings over and over, it got more creative when more radical authors just started faking it and pretending that white stuff and white people were really all blacks, but that was ridiculous and desperate, which only contributed to the negative results of digging into black history.

[Deaf Smith]

Garrett Morris invented the TV broadcast tech for giving “News for the hard of hearing.”