George Washington Carver was an inventor, botanist, and chemist known for his work with peanuts and sweet potatoes. He developed over 300 products using peanuts, including peanut flour, sauces, oils, paper, shaving cream, and drinks. He also found uses for sweet potatoes, creating stains, dyes, paints, library paste, alcohol, and fillers for wood. Carver used his scientific method of testing plants to find new uses and helped farmers diversify crops and improve soil. His inventions helped promote alternatives to cotton and supported the agriculture industry.