Tom,
For more info on "Black Inventors" you can go to
www.3dpublishing.com . It's good to let kids and even some adults know about
Black inventions.
EB.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom Coker" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, March 10, 2001 11:23 AM
Subject: Re: IT's A BLACK THING...FOR REAL, IT IS!


> "Author Unknown"
> This is a story of a little boy named Theo, who woke up one morning and
> asked his mother: what if there were no black people in the world? Well,
his
> mother thought about that for a moment, and then said: son, follow me
around
> today, and let's just see what it would be like if there were no black
> people in the world. Now go and get dressed and we'll get started.
>
> Theo ran to his room to put on his clothes and shoes. His mother took one
> look at his room and said: Theo, where are your shoes? And your clothes
are
> all wrinkled son, I must iron them. But when she reached for the ironing
> board, it was no longer there. You see Sarah Boone, a black woman
invented
> the ironing board and Jan E. Matzelinger, a black man, invented the shoe
> lasting machine.
>
> Oh, well, she said, please go and do something to your hair. Theo ran to
his
> room to comb his hair, but the comb was not there. You see, Walter
Sammons,
> a black man, invented the comb. Theo decided to just brush his hair. But
the
> brush was gone. You see, Lyndia O. Newman, a black woman invented the hair
> brush.
>
> Well, this was a sight: no shoes, wrinkled clothes, hair a mess, even
Mom's
> hair. Without the hair care inventions of Madame C.J. Walker. . . Well you
> get the piture, Mom told Theo.
>
> Mom asked Theo to go around and get a pencil and some paper to prepare the
> list for the market. So Theo ran for the paper and pencil, but noticed
that
> the pencil lead was brpken. Well, he was out of luck because John Love, a
> black man, invented the pencil sharpener. Mom then reached for the pen but
> it was not there, because William Purvis, a black man, invented the
fountain
> pen.
>
> As a matter of fact, Lee Burridge invented the typewriting machine, and
W.A.
> Lovette, invented the advanced printing press.
>
> Theo and his mother decided to jead out to the market. Well, when Theo
> opened the door, he noticed that the grass was as high as he was tall. You
> see, the lawn mover was invented by Jon Burr, a black man.
>
> They made their way to the car, and found that it would not go. You see
> Richard Spikes, a black man, invented the automatic gear shift, and Joseph
> Gammel, invented the supercharge system for internal combusstion engines.
> They nopticed that the few cars that were moving, were running into each
> other and having wrecks, because there were no traffic signals. You see
> Garret A. Morgan, a black man, invenmted traffic lights.
>
> Well, it was getting late, so they walked to the market, got their
groceries
> and returned home. Just when they were about to put away the milk, eggs,
and
> butter, they noticed that the refrigerator was gone. . .You see John
> Standard, a black man, invented the refrigerator. So they left the food on
> the counter.
>
> By this time, Theo noticed that he was getting mighty cold. Mom went to
turn
> on the heat, and what do you know, Alice Parker, a black woman, invented
the
> heating furnace. Even in the summertime, they would have been out of luck,
> because Frederick Jones, a black man invented the air conditioner.
>
> It was almost time for Theo's father to arrive home. He usually takes the
> bus. But there was no bus, because its precursor, the electric trolly, was
> invented by another black man, Elbert R. Robinson.
>
> He usually takes the elevator from his office on the 20th floor, but there
> was no elevator, because Alexander Miles, a black man, invented the
> elevator.
>
> He usually drops off the office mail at a nearby mail box, but it was no
> longer there, because Phillips Dawning, a black man, invented the letter
> drop mailbox and William Barry, another black man, invented the post
marking
> and canceling machine.
>
> Theo and his mother sat at the table, with their heads in their hands.
When
> Theo's father asked: why are you sitting in the dark? Why? Because Lewis
> Howard Latimer, a black man, invented the filament within the light bulb.
>
> Theo quickly learned what it would be like if there were no black people
in
> the world. Not to mention if he were ever sick and needed blood, because
> Charles Drew, a Black scientist, discovered the way to preserve and store
> blood, which lead to the first blood bank.
>
> And what if a family member had to have heart surgery, this would not have
> been possible without Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, a Black doctor, who
> performed the first open heart surgery.
>
> So if you ever wonder, like Theo, where would we be without Black people?
> Well, it's pretty plain to see. We would still be in the dark.
>
>
>
>
> _________________________________________________________________
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