Richard Spikes

Contribution: Invented the gear shift and turn signal for automobiles and school buses as well as several other items.

Age: 84 (1878 - 1963)

Mini Bio:

Richard Spikes patented many inventions. Some of them improved automobiles, including the automatic gear shift and automatic directional signals. Richard’s signaling system was introduced in 1913, in a car called the Pierce Arrow. It soon became standard in all cars. In 1932, Richard sold his automatic gear-shift design for more than $100,000 – a huge amount of money then. He made many other, varied inventions and had a long career, right up until his death in 1962.

• Some people think Richard was from Texas. Others say Oklahoma or California.
• Richard’s many inventions include a tap for beer kegs. He sold his tap design to the Milwaukee Brewing Company.
• Late in Richard’s life, he was working on a safety brake for cars, but he was losing his vision. To help him finish his work, Richard invented a drafting machine for blind designers.
• His safety brake was installed in almost every school bus in the nation.

Further Reading:

• Wikipedia
• Black Inventor
• African American Registry