Today in History – February 10, 1874 – Water-closed railway cars patented by Lewis Latimer, U.S. patent (No. 147,363). Latimer is better known for his patents for improvement in incandescent electric lamps while working for Edison. In 1890 he published Incandescent Electric Lighting, a technical engineering book which became a guide for lighting engineers.

February is Black History month. This would be a great time to browse the Engineering Pathway’s resources on African American scientists, engineers & inventors and our engineering diversity website.

Readers interested in inventions by African Americans may want to view the following blogs: Martin Luther King Day (January 20),  Ice cream scoop invented (February 2),  First patent by African American Inventor Latimer (February 10), First African American woman to receive an American medical degree (March 1),  First African American to recieve a patent (March 3),  The Real McCoy (July 12),  First African-American in Space, (August 30), Howard University founded in 1866 (November 20), John Hopkins hospital performs first open heart surgery (November 29), Rosa Parks Day (December 1), and Birth of first self-made millionairess (December 23).