This document discusses several inventions created by African Americans in the late 1800s and early 1900s that are still used today. It lists the Dustpan, Fountain Pen, Ironing Board, Pencil Sharpener, Traffic Signal, Mop, Comb, which were all patented by African American inventors like L.P. Ray, W.B. Purvis, Sarah Boone, J.L. Love, Garrett Morgan, Thomas Stewart, and Walter Sammons respectively. These inventions contributed to making everyday tasks and life easier.

1. African-American inventions we use daily Every February school-aged children learn about the history of African-American people in the United States. Many learn about slavery, the fight for civil rights and the steps the country is taking toward equality. Very little educational literature has been devoted to the inventions that African-Americans made that contributed to the ease of daily tasks of everyday life. The versions used today have been derived from the following inventions patented by African-Americans in the late 1800s, early 1900s.

5. Earned a U.S. patent in 1892 for a narrow wooden board with collapsible legs and a cloth cover.

9. Earned U.S. patent in 1892

11. Received a U.S. patent in 1920 for a heated version of the comb.