Black History Spotlight: Day #14
Contribution: The second African American inventor to receive a US patent.
Age: 53 (1807 - 1860)
Mini Bio:
Henry Blair was the second African American to be issued a patent, in 1834. He was a farmer in Maryland a long time ago – he was born more than 200 years ago. Henry couldn’t read or write, but he was very smart. He figured out how to a make a machine that allowed farmers to plant corn seeds much faster and with less labor. He estimated that his invention did the work of eight men.
- Henry was born in Glen Morgan, Maryland, and he died in 1860, before the Civil War.
- Henry couldn’t read and write. When he applied for his patent, he signed with an X.
- He also received a patent for a cotton planter.
Further reading:
