1
William Kamkwamba
(Inventor)
22
9
Birthdate: August 5, 1987
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Dowa, Malawi
2
Granville Woods
(Inventor)
17
3
Birthdate: April 23, 1856
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Columbus, Ohio, United States
Died: January 30, 1910
Granville Woods was 10 when he began working at a machine shop, while continuing his studies at a night school. He grew up to become a steam locomotive engineer and earned the nickname the Black Edison for his countless inventions, most of which were related to electrical systems for railways.
3
Moses Fleetwood Walker
(Baseball player)
3
0
Birthdate: September 7, 1856
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Mount Pleasant, Ohio, United States
Died: May 11, 1924
4
Patricia Bath
(American Ophthalmologist and Humanitarian)
16
3
Birthdate: November 4, 1942
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States
Died: April 30, 2019
Ophthalmologist Patricia Bath is remembered for her pathbreaking invention of the Laserphaco Probe, which made laser cataract surgery possible. The first Black female surgeon at the UCLA Medical Center and the first female faculty staff of the UCLA Jules Stein Eye Institute, she dedicated her life to curing blindness.
5
Sarah E. Goode
(Inventor)
16
3
Birthdate: 1855 AD
Birthplace: Toledo, Ohio, United States
Died: April 8, 1905
6
Sarah Boone
(African-American Inventor)
17
3
Birthdate: 1832 AD
Birthplace: Craven County, North Carolina, United States
Died: 1904 AD
7
Otis Boykin
(American Inventor and Engineer)
18
3
Birthdate: August 29, 1920
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Dallas, Texas, United States
Died: March 26, 1982
8
Jan Ernst Matzeliger
(Surinamese-American Inventor)
14
3
Birthdate: September 15, 1852
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Paramaribo, Suriname
Died: August 24, 1889
9
Lyda D. Newman
(Inventor and involved activist for women's suffrage)
13
2
Birthdate: 1885 AD
Birthplace: Ohio, United States
10
David Crosthwait
(African-American Mechanical and Electrical Engineer)
6
1
Birthdate: May 27, 1898
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Died: February 25, 1976
Ventilation, heating system, and air conditioning pioneer David Crosthwait was one of the first African-American men to excel in science. Throughout his illustrious career, he managed to gain 80 international patents. He later taught at Purdue University and was presented with an honorary doctorate by the same university.
