Black women have always been mothers of invention. That genius, however, isn't always acknowledged. These 10 creators are just a handful of the legions of "hidden figures" who must be seen.

Illustration by George McCalman

MARIE VAN BRITTEN BROWN

NURSE, HOME SECURITY SYSTEM

As a nurse who worked long hours, with an electron-ics technician husband who did the same, New Yorker Marie Van Brittan Brown was often home alone at night and did not feel safe. So she, along with her husband, Albert, did something about it. In 1969, the Browns received a patent for a home monitoring system with multiple peepholes, a camera, television monitors, two-way microphones, a device to remotely unlock the door, and an emergency button to send an alarm to police or security. Their patent, cited in 32 subsequent patent applications, helped to shape home security as we know it today.

Illustration by Gorge McCalman

VALERIE THOMAS

SCIENTIST, 3D TECHNOLOGY PRECURSER

Early STEM trailblazer Valerie Thomas was one of only two women physics majors in her class at Morgan State University in the 1960s. At NASA, where Thomas worked as a data analyst, she developed the illusion transmitter, a precursor to modern-day 3D technology and imaging. Light years ahead of the game, Thomas’ transmitter had an impact that reverberates today through television, film, video games, and medical imaging.

Ilustration by George McCalman

PATRICIA E. BATH

OPHTHALMOLOGIST, LASER PROBE CATARACT SURGERY TECHNIQUE

Howard University School of Medicine alum Dr. Patricia E. Bath’s many firsts include becoming the first woman to head an ophthalmology training residency program in the country. The Harlem native and cofounder of the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness is also the first Black woman physician to receive a patent for a medical invention. Today, Bath’s Laserphaco Probe technique for cataract surgery, which has restored or improved the sight of millions, is the procedural standard.

Illustration by George McCalman

JOAN MURRELL OWENS

MARINE BIOLOGIST, NEW CORAL GENUS AND SPECIES

Inspired by Jacques Cousteau and fishing trips with her father, Joan Murrell Owens, Ph.D., knew at an early age that she wanted to be a marine biologist. When Fisk University didn’t offer that major, she chose art and later earned a graduate degree in guidance counseling, teaching for many years. But she never gave up on her dream. In her 50s, she earned her doctorate in geology, becoming the first Black woman in the country to do so. While working with the Smithsonian, the former Howard University professor discovered a new genus and three new species of coral.

Illustration by George McCalman

BESSIE BLOUNT GRIFFIN

PHYSICAL THERAPIST AND FORENSIC SCIENTIST, AUTOMATIC FEEDING TUBE

Black women’s job opportunities were very limited in the past, but Bessie Blount Griffin made the best of them. As a physical therapist working with World War II veterans who were amputees, the Virginia native created an automatic feeding tube she later improved upon, receiving patents for her inventions. Despite the obvious need, the Veterans Administration would not do business with her. So she donated the rights to France. In her second act as a forensic scientist, she is believed to be the first Black woman to train at Scotland Yard.

Illustration by George McCalman

LISA GELOBTER

COMPUTER SCIENTIST, GIFS

GIFs are a staple of social media. And Lisa Gelobter played a role in their development. Her work with pioneering Internet technolo-gies—including Shockwave, credited with creating animation on the Web—laid the groundwork for a lot of the joy we experience today. The Brown University–educated computer scientist made other significant contributions, including bringing her digital expertise to BET Networks, serving on the senior management team for the launch of streaming giant Hulu, and even helping redesign the healthcare.gov website while working for the Obama White House. As founder and CEO of tEQuitable, Gelobter uses technology to address bias and discrimination in the workplace.

Illustration by George McCalman

JUNE BACON-BERCEY

METOROLOGIST, TELEVISION METEOROLOGY

Halle Berry and Alexandra Shipp may have played Storm in X-Men, but June Bacon-Bercey truly had that weather connect. Acknowledged as the first Black American woman to receive a meteorology degree, the Wichita, Kansas, native also has the distinction of being television’s first Black woman meteorologist. That hap-pened in Buffalo, New York, when the weatherman was arrested for robbing a bank and she filled in. To encourage others, Bacon-Bercey helped establish a scholarship for female students in the field, as well as a meteorology lab, at Jackson State University.

Illustration by George McCalman

NORMAN MERRICK SKLAREK

ARCHITECT, U.S. EMBASSY IN TOKYO/TERMINAL ONE AT LAX/MALL OF AMERICAN IN MINNEAPOLIS

“If you build it, they will come,” the saying goes. And build a legacy architect Norma Merrick Sklarek did. Her many impressive structures include the Pacific De-sign Center in Los Angeles, the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, Terminal One at LAX, and the Mall of America in Min-neapolis. As the first Black woman architect licensed in New York and California, the first Black woman fellow of the American Institute of Architects, and the founder of one of the largest women-owned architectural firms in the country, the New York City native remains a pioneer. There’s even an eponymous architecture scholarship in her honor at Howard University.

Illustration by George McCalman

LYDA NEWMAN

HAIRDRESSER, SYNTHETIC BRISTLE HAIRBRUSH

Little is known about Lyda Newman’s life, but her improved hairbrush is well-documented. On November 15, 1898, Newman patented her design. While the hairbrush was not new, those available did not serve Black hair needs. So Newman, a hairdresser by profession, replaced the widely used animal hair bristles with more durable and hygienic synthetic ones. Because Newman’s hairbrush, which also helped straighten the hair, was cost- effective and easy to manufacture, she is often credited for paving the way for beauty entrepreneurs like Madam C.J. Walker.

Illustration by George McCalman

MARGARET MORGAN LAWRENCE

PSYCHIATRIST, CHILDREN'S MENTAL HEALTH

Born in New York City and raised in Mississippi, Dr. Margaret Morgan Lawrence was haunted by the death of her brother two years before her birth. So she vowed to become a doctor to save other children when she grew up. Achieving that goal, the Cornell University and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons alum taught at Meharry Medical College. Turning her attention to psychia-try and psychoanalysis is where she arguably made her biggest impact: She was the first Black resident at the New York Psychiatric Institute and later earned her certi-fication in psychoanal-ysis from the Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research. Focusing on children’s mental health, she developed some of the earliest child therapy programs for schools, day care cen-ters, and hospital clinics still in existence today.

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