Meet the Innovative Black Men and Women Who Revolutionized the Modern Home
When people think about Black history, they usually tend to focus on civil rights leaders and icons in the arts or the realm of athletics. But there’s another field that has been shaped and driven forward d by the work of African-American innovators - electricity. Many of the systems and technologies widely used in homes and businesses today are owed to the invaluable contributions of Black inventors.
So in celebration of Black History Month, here’s a brief look at the intersection of Black history and electrical history, with three people who changed everything.
Lewis Latimer - Pioneer of the Light Bulb and So Much More
Lewis Latimer, born in 1848, was a Black inventor who had a hand in some of the most significant technological advancements of the 19th century, including the telephone and an early air conditioning system, which he designed himself. Perhaps most notably, he helped create the incandescent light bulb as it’s known today.
Having taught himself the skill of drafting while working in a patent law firm, Latimer was hired by the U.S. Electric Lighting Company, where he devised a new, more effective method for manufacturing carbon filament. This unique piece of technology is often considered to have ushered in the age of modern electric lighting. Thomas Edison later hired a Latimer to help him patent his incandescent bulb. Latimer wrote the first book on the subject of electric lighting in 1890.
James E. West - Co-Inventor of the Electret Condenser Microphone
In 1931, James E. West was a highly celebrated and accomplished inventor and acoustician. In 1962, while working at Bell Laboratories, West and a German inventor named Gerhard M. Sessler devised a new condenser microphone called the foil electret microphone. The details are a bit technical, but suffice it to say, the design was a significant breakthrough in microphone technology at the time.
Of the billions of microphones produced every year, close to 90% are based on West and Sessler’s original foil electret microphone principles. These are used in many devices, such as telephones, audio recorders, lavalier microphones used in broadcasting and filmmaking, intelligent home systems, digital cameras, and hearing aids.
Today, West holds more than 250 patents worldwide, continues to invent new devices, and actively advocates for diversity in science and academia.
Marie Van Brittan Brown - Mother of the Home Security System
Marie Van Brittan Brown, born in 1922, was working as a nurse in the 1960s when she invented the first home security system. With the high crime rates in their neighborhood in Queens, NYC, and the fact that she was often home alone due to her and her husband’s odd work schedules, she wanted to protect herself in her apartment if any nefarious characters came knocking.
The result was a full-fledged home security system that would become the direct inspiration for many of today’s security systems. Brown’s design involved a camera that could slide up and down to peepholes set at different heights. The camera would send the image to a monitor in another part of the apartment, allowing her to see who was at the door - this is called closed-circuit television or CCTV and is widely used today.
The system also featured a two-way microphone that allowed her to communicate with whoever was at the door, a remote-controlled locking mechanism, and an emergency button to contact police or building security. Brown and her husband received a patent for the system in 1969, referenced in numerous patents for security systems in the decades since. Considering the prevalence of home security systems today (many drawn directly from her design), Brown’s impact as a Black woman inventor cannot be understated.
About Electric City
As a family-owned local business, Electric City has been proud to serve the Katy community since 2008. They offer financing, up-front pricing, a rewarding membership plan, lifetime warranties on all work, and unbeatable guarantees. Their trustworthy technicians are available for 24-hour emergency service, so call Electric City any time for electrical services in Katy, TX!
