Gas Heating Furnace: Alice H. Parker 

   Alice Parker was an engineer and inventor from New Jersey. Although there is very little know about her upbringing, we know she graduated from Howard University. Because of her growing up in the Northern United States with harsh winters she was motivated to find a solution. In 1919, Alice went out to create a furnace that ran on natural gas, revolutionizing the home heating industry and later leading another black inventor, David Crosthwait, to create the thermostat.  

Chips: George Speck Crum 

   George Speck was an American Chef and member of the St. Regis Native American tribe. He gained his cooking skills from working alongside French Hotel owner Andrew Berger. Crum quickly gained a reputation for being able to cook anything and even went on to open his own restaurant. Now, although he is on this list as an inventor, he made the chip in a fit of rage. On many accounts, what caused him to make the fry was an angry customer who said their fries were too thick, so the aggravated Crum took a razor blade, cut the fries as thin as he could get them, and deep fried them until crunchy, making what we all know and love: Potato chips. He died at the age of 90, so it is safe to say he leveled out his stress.  

Traffic light: Garret Morgan 

   Born in 1877, he had a long career in inventions. From the sewing machine to the gas mask, to the traffic light, he was an inventor at his core. He tried to coin himself the name “Black Edison.” He was the first black man in Cleveland to own a car, so his curiosity with everything automobile begin to flourish. After witnessing a carriage crash, he was quick to develop a traffic signaler. He then sold it to Genral Electric for $40,000. On top of all his award-winning inventions, he was a black activist and would donate to black colleges, was a member of the Cleveland Association of Colored Men and opened an all-black country club. All in all he had a very well-rounded life. 

Touch tone: Dr. Shirly Ann Jackson  

   With two degrees in physics from MIT, Dr. Shirly Ann Jackson was a pioneer in her field. She served as chair of Nuclear Regulatory Commision by request of President Bill Clinton. She spent her whole career working on national and global security, cybersecurity, and digital technology.  Although by the time she entered her field, the phone was invented, she thought of a way to improve it forever. She took the Rotary Dial off the house phone and replaced it with quick and simple buttons, this made making phones quick and easy.  She went on to help others change the telecommunication industry what it is today.   

Modern toilet: Thomas Elkin 

   Now how many things have been unchanged in design since its invention? Now how many things have been unchanged since 1900? Well, the toilet fits into both of those categories. Although the materials have changed from wood to porcelain throne, we know today. Back in Elkins’ time you could use a chamber pot or an outhouse to go the bathroom, he was tired of this and created a seat that would hold your chamber pot in place of squatting all the way down or in a hole. Later people adapted the same design for indoor plumbing, and it is the same toilet we know and love today.