People, Locations, Episodes

The North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company is Founded

The founding of North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company (NCM) in 1898 is celebrated on this date.

Founded by John Merrick, it is headquartered in Durham, NC. It was one of the first black-owned insurance companies in America. Charles Spaulding was also instrumental in building NCM’s legacy.

Frances Albrier, Welder, Nurse, and Union Activist born

*Frances Albrier was born on this date in 1898. She was a welder, nurse, and union activist. Frances Mary Albrier was born in Mount Vernon, New York, and raised by her grandparents in Tuskegee, Alabama. She attended the Tuskegee Institute through high school. In 1920, she received a B.A. from Howard University and moved to Berkeley, California, […]

A Black Woman Patents a Hair Brush

On this date in 1898, Lydia O. Newman, an African American of New York City acquired a patent for the hair brush.

Newman’s invention permitted easy cleaning by having a detachable unit which carried the brush and bristles. The patent number was 614,335.

Prentice Polk, Portrait Photographer born

*Prentice Polk was born on this date in 1898.  He was a Black photographer and professor known for his portraits of African Americans.  Prentice Herman Polk was born in Bessemer, Alabama, the fourth child of Jacob Prentice Polk and Christine Romelia Ward. Originally named Herman Polk, he adopted his father’s name after his death and […]

Ben Chester White, Sharcropper born

*Ben Chester White was born on this date in 1899. He was a Black minister and sharecropper. From Mississippi, White was a caretaker of the Carter family farm on Liberty Road in Natchez, Mississippi, and a deacon in the local Baptist church. He performed tasks around the farm and, with a limited ability to read, quoted […]

Abram Harris, Economist born

Abram Harris, an African American economist, was born on the date in 1899 in Richmond, Virginia.

A Black Man Patents Pedestrian Guards for Locomotives

On this date 1899, J.H. Robinson received a patent for life saving Pedestrian Guards for Locomotives.  The patent number was # 621143. Global Black Inventors

Leonard Harper, Stage Producer born

*Leonard Harper was born on this date in 1899; he was a Black producer, stager, and choreographer in New York City during the Harlem Renaissance.   He was born in Birmingham, Alabama, to performer William Harper and his wife. Harper started dancing as a child to attract a crowd on a medicine show wagon, traveling throughout the South. In 1915, he […]

A Black Man Patents Guard Rails For Street Cars

*On this date in 1899, “Life Saving Guards for Street Cars” was patented by Black inventor, J.H. Robinson.  The patent number was # 623929, Global Black Inventors

A Lawn Mower is Patented by a Black Man

On this date 1899, John Albert Burr invented one of the first rotary-blade lawn mowers.

This Black inventors Patent number is #624,749.

A Baby Buggy is Patented by a Black Man

On this date in 1899, an African American patented the Baby Buggy.

That day William H. Richardson walked to a Baltimore patent office that changed the baby carriages. It was his idea to use a special joint to allow a bassinet to be turned to face the operator. He created the first reversible baby carriage. Several changes were made that allowed his carriage for the wheel to turn individually, which meant that the vehicle could turn 360 degrees in a smaller turning radius.

A Folding Bed is Patented by a Black Man

On this date in 1899, African American Leonard C. Bailey patented the folding bed.

Reference:
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Mail Stop USPTO Contact Center
P.O. Box 1450
Alexandria, VA 22313

Global Black Inventors

Ruth Ellis, Lesbian Printer and Activist born

*Ruth Ellis was born on this date in 1899. She was a Black lesbian printer, photographer, and LGBT rights activist. Ruth Charlotte Ellis was born in Springfield, Illinois, the youngest of four children and the only daughter. Her parents were from Tennessee. Ellis’ mother, Carrie Farro Ellis, died when she was a teen, while her father, Charles […]

A Black Man Patents a Bicycle Frame

*On this date in 1899, a Black man patented a Bicycle Frame.  Isaac R. Johnson of Manhattan, New York City received patent #634823.

Aunt Jemima Pancakes, a story

*On this date in 1899, Aunt Jemima pancakes began selling in stores. They are a brand of pancake mix, syrup, and other breakfast foods. The Aunt Jemima pancake mix debuted as the first ready-mix and became one of the most recognized brands in US history. 1888 St. Joseph Gazette editor Chris L. Rutt and his […]