You know the Super Soaker. It's one of top twenty toys of all time. And it was invented entirely by accident. Trying to create a new cooling system for refrigerators and air conditioners, inventor Lonnie Johnson instead created the mechanics for the iconic toy. A love for rockets, robots, inventions, and a mind for creativity began early in Lonnie Johnson's life. Growing up in a house full of brothers and sisters, persistence and a passion for problem...

Many of the products we use every day were invented by African Americans, although these inventors unfortunately have not often been given credit for their contributions. Readers will take a fascinating look at the black men and women who have helped shape the world as we know it today with their inventions. Engaging text presents a discussion of the lives of prominent black inventors, including the struggles they dealt with in the past and continue...

Traces the lives of black scientists and inventors who have made significant contributions in the various fields of science and industry.

"Sarah E. Goode was one of the first African-American women to get a US patent. Working in her furniture store, she recognized a need for a multi-use bed and through hard work, ingenuity, and determination, invented her unique cupboard bed. She built more than a piece of furniture. She built a life far away from slavery, a life where her sweet dreams could come true."--Amazon.com

"Why is Lewis Latimer important? His invention of the carbon filament made light bulbs more afforable and longer lasting. Readers follow his journey from working with Alexander Graham Bell to improving Thomas Edison's light bulb. It's an enlightening story filled with engaging text and colorful images, all reviewed by Smithsonian experts"--

Ahora en español, la verdadera historia del juguete favorito de todos los niños en el verano, la Súper Pistola de Agua, y cómo fue inventado por accidente. Mientras trataba de crear un sistema de enfriamiento para refrigeradores, Lonnie Johnson inventó sin quererlo el mecanismo de este emblemático juguete. Cuando era niño le encantaban los cohetes, los robots, todo tipo de inventos y, sobre todo, la creatividad. Gracias a su pasión y persistencia...

"Born in Carthage, North Carolina, Lucean Arthur Headen (1879-1957) grew up amid former slave artisans. Inspired by his grandfather, a wheelwright, and great-uncle, a toolmaker, he dreamed as a child of becoming an inventor. His ambitions suffered the menace of Jim Crow and the reality of a new inventive landscape in which investment was shifting from lone inventors to the new 'industrial scientists.' But determined and ambitious, Headen left the...

Profiles the lives of twenty-five African American inventors who made significant scientific contributions from the eighteenth century to modern times.

Shares the inspirational story of African-American inventor Garrett Morgan, whose incredible safety hood became a forerunner to the gas masks that saved thousands of soldiers during World War I. In 1911, 146 workers died in the shocking Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City. Morgan decided to invent a safety hood for firefighters-- but people weren't interested in buying his safety hood when they discovered its inventor was black. When...

"Throughout history, Black inventors have achieved some of the world's greatest advancements in science, technology, engineering, and math. This book highlights 15 men and women who made a big impact with their inventions--from Marie Van Brittan Brown, who created the first home security system, to Mark Dean, who invented the personal computer. Learn all about each inventor's creative process, their invention, and the way it's benefited our world."--...