Eric Williams

Eric Williams didn’t invent the cardiac stent, but his design for it has helped change the lives of millions who suffer from heart disease. With the use of stent technology, patients can avoid the arduous process of open-heart surgery, which can be particularly detrimental to older patients. Stent surgery is less invasive, and patients can usually go home the next day.

Thomas Jennings

Thomas Jennings was the first African American to receive a patent, on March 3, 1821 (U.S. patent3306x). Thomas Jennings’ patent was for a dry-cleaning process called “dry scouring”. The first money Thomas Jennings earned from his patent was spent on the legal fees (my polite way of saying enough money to purchase) necessary to liberate his family out of slavery and support the abolitionist cause.

Thanks to Tanisha and Bryan Jones and their daughter Sinai for compiling these profiles from the following sources:

1) The Encyclopedia of African-American Heritage, by Susan Altman
2) The Roots website, theroots.com
3) Famous Black Inventors website, black-inventor.com