Whose Dog's Been in My History Book? I Have Pages Missing!Feb 28 '03 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Black History Month W/O Hosted by Cletta1201 and Madtheory
This is my first participation in an Epinions write-off and I want to say how honored I am that the topic is Black History Month. Many of the participants have reviewed books, movies, and music all written by or produced by African-American artists, writers, etc. I applaud all of the reviewers for the tremendous work published on this site during the past week for I have thoroughly enjoyed every entry. I, on the other hand, knew immediately that the subjects of my entry would not be so well known. I wanted to showcase the contributions of Americans whose faces don’t appear on cereal boxes, CD jackets, video cassettes, or high-dollar athletic shoes. These Americans will never likely appear on TV or the big screen, but their brilliant inventions affect the daily lives of each of us in some way. I hope you enjoy my contribution to this write-off and more importantly, will take the opportunity to read more about the significant contributions of many African-American inventors. Those of you who have read my reviews are aware that I school my 12-year old child at home. While there were many factors that led to this decision, one of the major reasons was that I simply lacked the confidence that my child was receiving a comprehensive and well-rounded education. As an example, when I reviewed my son’s last public school history book, the experience turned out to be one of déjà vu, rather than the enlightening experience it should have been. Twenty-five additional years of history occurred between the days that my butt warmed that schoolroom chair and my son’s; yet, if his history book reflected America’s most accurate record of events, then time might as well have stood still. Have you ever heard of Henry Ford? How about Wilbur and Orville Wright? Thomas Edison? Robert Fulton? Eli Whitney? Of course, you have. All of these American inventors are found in your average grade school history book. How about Percy Julian? Garret Morgan? Sarah Boone, W. B. Purvis, or George F. Grant? Carter Woodson? No? Hmmm, maybe some pages are missing from your history books, too. For those of you that suffer from arthritis and use cortisone to treat your ailment, you can likely thank Percy Lavon Julian. Mr. Julian was an African-American chemist who developed a way to make synthetic cortisone and other steroids from soybeans. Until this time the only other source was from animals and was so expensive, only the very wealthy could afford it. Since the synthetic version was much more affordable than its natural counterpart, Julian’s discovery enabled millions to seek effective, inexpensive treatment for the crippling disease. The NAACP awarded Percy Julian the Spingarn Award for his accomplishments in 1947. Garret Morgan was the first to patent the traffic signal in 1923. Morgan’s invention was less sophisticated than the traffic lights that we are currently familiar with, but the device was inspired when Morgan witnessed a horrific accident between a horse-drawn carriage and a motor vehicle. These occurrences were common during the transition between carriage and car, but it was Morgan who cared enough to find a better way to regulate traffic and avoid accidents. Later in his career he would also develop a gas mask to help rescue workers safely breathe in certain hazardous conditions. This gas mask was modified by the U.S. Army and was widely used in World War I to save many lives. Morgan would eventually earn two prestigious awards from public service groups for the design of his mask and his contribution to the safety of sanitation workers and firefighters. The ironing board as we know it was inspired by an earlier version patented by African-American Sarah Boone. In our household, the invention of modern, wrinkle-free fabrics and more material-friendly washers and dryers have made the ironing board virtually obsolete. In Boone’s day, however, her product greatly improved the process of removing wrinkles from the narrow sleeves and bodices common in the women’s gowns of the time. The fountain pen was created when W, B Purvis decided that it was simply too inconvenient to carry a bottle of ink around when one needed to sign a document. His idea of a writing device that included a built-in reservoir for ink was patented in 1890. Purvis is often credited with designing the cutting edge found on boxes of aluminum foil and plastic wrap, but the design was never patented by him. African-American dentist George F. Grant made essential advances in the treatment of cleft palate and speech therapy. Only the second African-American to graduate Harvard University’s dental school, he remained on staff with the university and later founded the Harvard Odontological Society. Grant is also known for inventing the golf tee. The list goes on and on. In fact, if the inventions and contributions of African-Americans were suddenly as absent as they are in our children’s history books, life wouldn’t be nearly so convenient or comfortable. African-Americans are responsible for either creating, or making considerable improvements on existing ideas in virtually every field one can imagine. From the establishment of blood banks to the first successful open-heart surgery, air conditioning and heating systems to elevators, from street sweepers and trolleys to lawn sprinklers and lawnmowers, and from biscuit cutters to pencil sharpeners, there isn’t a day that will go by that our lives aren’t touched by the brilliant mind of an African-American. Thankfully, since the history books are so obviously lacking, at least one month of the year we now get an opportunity to recognize that fact, and to celebrate the unsung heroes as well as the well-sung ones. By the way, we can thank Carter Woodson for that—he invented Black History Month. For a more comprehensive list of inventions and other contributions by African-Americans, read more about it at: http://www.swagga.com/inventors.htm Author’s note: This write-off entry almost didn’t come about since early this week, I fractured my left hand, my natural hand, in three places. Never one to miss a deadline, I in fact, completed this entry typing with the one hand that’s wasn’t bandaged from my fingertips to my elbow. So if the length and typing quality of this article isn’t quite the standard you’ve come to expect from me, then give me a break, will ya. . . just make sure it’s not my other hand. :-) Thanks for reading. List of write-off participants: Cletta1201, madtheory, speeddemon531, flamepillar, cntaur5, kristinafh, shadesofblue, atchesonate, stairway2drew, divad23, thevoid99, matta75, sparkospunky, paulyoungotti, macresarf1, dedemw, psychovant, lambchops, skbreese, netnut746, pmills1210, aeoakley, officer, jennjoy, roheblius, ez013182, susidee34, aerocat, cdm72, youngchinq, tjolims, megstar, marinermoose22, artbyjude, ekidd911, hierograffiti, brotherman, jo.com, insomniac1587, e-kleptic, sherkarr, waynio, standells, cr01, bigd99999, frostiepekkle, artbyjude, jay1051971, gc_mom, jeff_wilder78, fuche_bu, tdswift99, ed_grover, drfaustus.  |
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