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Unsung heroes of who have been erased from our History books
by Joseph Earnest July 17, 2011
Newscast Media HOUSTON, Texas -- In a world where so many lack a sense of purpose or direction, it is easy to forget that those who paved the way for the industrial revolution succeeded in their endeavors because they believed in defying the odds. When one discovers one's reason for living, that's the day when one begins to live. Despite any odds or voices of doubt, a person becomes unstoppable when focused on that which was started that they were born to finish. Unfortunately, our History books haven't been kind to some the great inventors who have greatly contributed and continue to contribute to both the industrial revolution and the information age. For example, in the black community many are unaware of the great pioneers who never get credit for their contributions, or whose work remains concealed. As a scholar, I feel compelled to do justice to the glory of the unsung heroes, by introducing my readership and viewership to these great men and women. Dr. Ben Carson a neurosurgeon, takes us down memory lane in this video below. Presentation by Dr. Ben Carson Dr. Carson reminds us that it was Jan Matzelinger a black man who invented the automatic shoe lasting machine. It was Charles Brooks who invented a street sweeper, those machines with big brushes. As we continue to explore we discover that it was Frederick Jones a black man who invented the refrigeration system for trucks, later adopted for airplanes, boats and trains. It was Garrett Morgan a black man who invented the traffic signal and the gas mask that saved a lot of lives during the war. Henrietta Bradberry invented the underwater canon and made it possible to launch torpedoes from submarines. Madam C.J. Walker invented cosmetics for women of dark complexion, and was the first woman of any nationality to become a millionaire through her own efforts, the Mary Kay of her day. Daniel Hale Williams performed the first successful open heart surgery in the world. Lewis Latimer was the right hand man of Thomas Edison, who came up with the filament that made the light bulb work, and diagramed the telephone for Alexander Graham Bell. Elijah McCoy was issued his first patent on July 12th, 1872 for his improvement in lubricators for steam engines. McCoy continued to improve upon his design and invented several more improvements. Railroad and shipping lines began using McCoy's new lubricators and the Michigan Central Railroad promoted him to an instructor in the use of his new inventions. Later, Elijah McCoy became a consultant to the railroad industry on patent matters. The saying 'the real McCoy', meaning the real thing, has been associated with Elijah McCoy's invention of an oil-drip cup, for which he was well known. The ancient Egyptians Many revere the Greeks for their Mathematics, Philosophy, Art and even Architecture, but they forget that the Greeks actually derived their ingenuity from the Egyptians. From Pythagoras who studied in Egypt and came up with the Pythagorean Theorem, that had been already discovered thousands of years ago by the Egyptians, to the Greek alphabet that was actually invented by the Egyptians. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) explains how the Egyptians developed this theorem, later adopted by Pythagoras. (pop-up) The BBC also did an expose on how the ancient Greeks borrowed the Egyptian alphabet and took credit for it. Greek Mathematicians and astronomers in essence convinced the world that they invented the Greek alphabet, yet they actually plagiarized the Egyptians' invention and never gave them credit. You may read the BBC's article here. (pop-up) Ancient Egypt was inhabited by Black Africans, and later after the Muslim invasion, the native Egyptians were displaced to the southern parts (Upper Egypt) while the Arabians occupied the North (Lower Egypt) that was more cosmopolitan and fertile. Egypt is currently occupied by Turks, who aren't true Arabs. There are still a few native Egyptians who are the oppressed minority and have held on to their ancient wisdom. These native Egyptians have secret societies and very rarely give outsiders access into their world. Newscast Media is still attempting to create a documentary about the ancient secrets these Egyptians have concealed. It takes a while to gain their trust, but perseverance will pay off. In regard to the history of books, the Egyptians used papyrus reeds in 2400 B.C. (from which we get the word paper) and rolled these writings in scrolls, much like builders do today with blueprints. This method was then adopted by the Greeks in 650 B.C. and by the Romans who imported papyrus from Egypt between 300 to 100 B.C. The Romans then produced the first postmodern book, which was the codex that was bound in leather. These inventions all take us back to the ancient Egyptians, who are now almost an extinct race of people, yet they were the innovators. With movable type, the printing press, text messaging and now the Internet, writing has become a lost art. When I was in school in my pre-teen years, our teachers even gave us grades for our handwriting, now, very rarely do people write or even know how to write letters because with a computer keyboard and a spellchecker, some consider writing to be old fashioned. Even Christmas greetings are sent over Twitter or by the use of e-Cards. Some people do not think it is necessary to even send out wedding invitations with cards, it is done over Facebook or via e-mail. It is amazing that writing took thousands of years to be developed and perfected, yet it has taken less than a generation, to make it almost extinct. I am one of the few people who have refused to buy Kindle or nook, because I still enjoy reading hardcover books that are bound. One day physical books might become extinct as we move into the digital age, but until such a time, I will stick to the traditional means of reading hardcopy books. The Vatican Library is an exception, and has books dating back to the time Gilgamesh. I don't see them moving away from hardcopy books. The Epic of Gilgamesh is particularly interesting because it mentions several biblical events including Noah's flood, that support ancient scripture. With voice-recognition software like Dragon Naturally Speaking, one doesn't even have to type or even know how to spell words. All you have to do is speak, and your wish is the computer's command. How soon we forget.
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