There are many Black inventors and scientists who have made great contributions to our society. Learn about these two ingenious men and then make a fun snack that ties them together!
Garret Morgan
There is no doubt that Garret Morgan did invent a traffic signal in the 1920's, but he did not invent the first traffic signal. Several others had invented and even patented traffic signals by this time, but Morgan's design was unique in that it consisted of a "T"-shaped pole that had a signal on the top, with three positions. These three positions were Go, Stop, and All-Stop. This last position applied to people coming from every direction, and was used to make sure that pedestrians could cross the street safely. Morgan received a patent for his device in 1923. Morgan's traffic signal was used throughout North America until all manual traffic signals were replaced by the automatic red, yellow and green traffic lights in use today.
George Washington Carver
While George Washington Carver did not invent peanut butter as many of us may have thought, he did play a significant role in making it popular. Carver came up with over 300 uses for peanuts (and hundreds more for soybeans, pecans and sweet potatoes), but he only patented three. Carver's work also laid the groundwork for organic farming and today’s research on plant-based fuels, medicines, and everyday products. Among some of his inventions using peanuts included: adhesives, axle grease, bleach, buttermilk, chili sauce, fuel briquettes (a biofuel), ink, instant coffee, linoleum, mayonnaise, meat tenderizer, metal polish, shaving cream and wood stain.
This delicious snack ties in Morgan's invention of the traffic light and what they look like today with Carver's use of peanuts!
Directions:
1. Break the graham crackers into 2 rectangles.
2. Spread a thin layer of peanut butter on each graham cracker.
3. Add a red, yellow and green M&M to look like a traffic light.
4. Enjoy!
Click Explore More! to find the full recipe and history!
