Imagine Summer Without These!
By Kevin Estes
Summer Fun
Imagine hot days without:
scoops of ice cream,
potato chips,
golf tees,
refrigeration,
Super Soakers,
lemonade,
cakes, whipped cream, and meringues.
They share another fun connection!
Scoops of Ice Cream
The ice cream scoop was patented in 1897:
While working as a porter at the Markell Brothers drugstore in Pittsburgh, Alfred Cralle noticed his fellow employees struggling to scoop ice cream cones for customers.
Cralle decided to design a contraption to scoop ice cream easily with one hand.
His invention, which he called the "ice-cream mold and disher," received a federal patent on February 2, 1897.
He was the first Black man in the city of Pittsburgh to receive his own patent.
Potato Chips
The Smithsonian reports the first potato chips were made in 1853:
The potato chip was invented in Saratoga Lake, NY. Its inventor was George Speck—the son of an African American father and Native American mother. Later he professionally adopted the last name Crum.
He was a gifted, although surly, cook working as the chef of the Moon Lake Lodge Resort in 1853. One dish on the menu was French-fried potatoes, which are prepared by cutting potatoes lengthwise and lightly frying them.
According to legend, one day a customer repeatedly sent his French-fried potatoes back to the kitchen complaining that they were too thick and soft. Crum’s solution was to thinly slice the potatoes and fry them in grease till brown.
The customer loved the crisps and soon other guests began asking for them as well. Soon Crum's "Saratoga Chips" became one of lodge's most popular treats.
Golf Tees
According to the United States Golf Association, the wooden golf tee was invented in 1899:
Prior to the invention of the wooden tee at the turn of the 19th century, golfers made tees out of sand. Courses would supply each hole with a box of wet sand from which the golfer would fashion a raised mound using either his hands or a cone-shaped mold.
In 1899, Boston dentist Dr. George Grant, frustrated with this tedious and messy process, invented a wooden golf tee.
Dr. Grant was born to escaped slaves in 1846, eventually finding work as an assistant at a dentist’s office. This position allowed him to gain the experience necessary to attend and eventually become the second African American to graduate from Harvard Dental School.
Later, he served as the first African-American professor at Harvard. Following his professorship, Dr. Grant opened a successful dental practice and became widely respected for his work repairing cleft palates.
But his recreational passion was golf, which he played in a meadow near his home in Arlington, Mass.
Even though the patent for his tee, issued on Dec. 12, 1899, was the first in the country, Dr. Grant never capitalized on his invention.
Refrigeration
According to The Black History Channel:
In Thomas' day, food was kept cool by packing blocks of ice in an ice box and hoping for the best. But Thomas invented an apparatus that utilized metal cooling coils.
The coils became super-cold, thereby cooling the items inside to "less than room temperature" and keeping them fresher longer.
It was also used to keep dead bodies cool.
As fascinating as that was, the Times Union reported that Dr. Thomas Elkins also:
traveled extensively in Africa and brought back shells and minerals,
opened his own apothecary and dentistry practice in Albany.
played a pivotal role in Underground Railroad efforts in Albany before the Civil War.
served as a medical examiner to the 54th and 55th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry units for African-American soldiers, who were depicted in the movie "Glory.”
Super Soaker®
On May 27, 1986, the U.S. Patent Office grants a patent to African American inventor Lonnie Johnson for his toy design simply titled ”Squirt Gun.”
Johnson’s concept for the Super Soaker began by accident in his own basement bathroom in 1982. At the time, he was employed as a nuclear engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, working on the Galileo mission to Jupiter.
While brainstorming a heat pump that would use pressurized water vapor instead of environmentally hazardous freon, Johnson hooked up a nozzle to his bathroom sink. It accidentally sprang a leak, shooting water across the bathroom in a strong stream.
A lightbulb went off: This design could make one heck of a powerful water gun.
Years later, while working on the Air Force’s B-52 stealth bomber by day, Johnson tinkered in his free time on a wide range of projects, including this one.
After selling more than 250 million units and earning well over $1 billion dollars, the Super Soaker was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 2015.
Johnson currently holds more than 130 U.S. patents and is the author of several publications related to the field of spacecraft power systems.
Lemonade
According to the Museum of Food and Drink (MOFAD):
In 1896, White received a patent for improvements to the lemon squeezer, which allowed the user to swiftly extract juice from the fruit.
It would be much more difficult to make lemonade and many adult beverages without it!
Cakes, Whipped Cream, and Meringues
According to the Museum of Food and Drink (MOFAD), Willis Johnson invented the eggbeater in 1884:
Johnson invented and patented an eggbeater that made blending batter for baked recipes easier. The machine, which transformed processes for bakers, pastry chefs, and confectioners, was a predecessor to the electric mixer.
Johnson’s invention is really just the icing on the cake of these other great summer-themed inventions.
Happy Juneteenth!
As you may have guessed, each item on the list was invented or substantially improved by an African American!
However, this list is just the tip of the iceberg. Here’s a broader list of 101 inventions - some of which had an even bigger impact!
Disclaimer
In addition to the usual disclaimers, neither this post nor these images include any financial, tax, or legal advice.