You may not have heard of some of these scientists, engineers, and all-around geniuses in your high school history, but you are almost certainly guaranteed to have benefitted from their research, invention, and creative contributions. This Black History Month, let’s get to know some true tech superstars:

 

• Garrett Morgan was an invention with a variety of meaningful contributions including the zigzag attachment for manual sewing machines, a gas mask prototype, and the three-color stop lights.
• Valerie Thomas describes herself as a lifelong learner and has contributed to the world of STEM as a physicist, NASA scientist, and inventor of the Illusion Transmitter device (used in medical imaging, meteorology, and military defense. She has been honored by the Goddard Space Flight and continues to inspire women and girls entering STEM fields.
• Granville T. Woods, who dropped out of school at age 10, went on to hold more than 50 patents and be inducted in the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2006. Among his achievements was the Synchronous Multiplex Railway Telegraph that allowed trains and stations to communicate with each other.
• Patricia Bath was the first African American woman to graduate from Howard University’s College of Medicine with a doctoral degree, and went on to pioneer modern laser cataract surgery, changing ophthalmology forever.

 

To get to know more exceptional African American scientists and leaders in technology fields, visit 17 Black inventors who changed the tech world – Digital Trends. You may be amazed to learn how many foundational principles and technologies we can’t live without today were the brainchild of geniuses whose names are often left out of the history books.