He started his career as a tailor and eventually opened one of New Yorks leading clothing shops. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. WTF Fun Fact - Thomas Jennings February 11, 2020 In 1821, an African American business owner named Thomas Jennings invented the dry cleaning process and was one of the first African Americans to be granted a patent. Finally, after the car had gone on further, with the aid of a policeman they succeeded in removing her. Jennings' skills were so admired that people near and far came to him to alter or custom tailor items of clothing for them. Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. At least two slave owners applied for patents for their slaves inventions, but were denied because no one could take the patent oaththe enslaved inventor was not eligible to hold a patent, and the owner was not the inventor. This is a picture of Paul Bogle, Jamaican national hero. Five Things You Didn't Know. Eventually, Jennings reputation grew such that he was able to open his own store on Church street which grew into one of the largest clothing stores in New York City. In his early 20s he became a tailor but then opened a dry cleaning business in the city. He served as assistant secretary of the First Annual Convention of the People of Color which met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in June 1831. The third President, after his retirement, sold his library of 6,500 volumes to the Library of Congress after it was ransacked by the British. But by then, Jennings' process of using solvents to clean clothes was well-known and widely heralded. Jennings was 30 years old when he received his patent on March 3, 1821 (U.S. patent 3306x), becoming the first African American inventor to own the rights to his invention. Yet, Jennings was undeterred. However, Jennings was born free, so he could get a patent. Your Privacy Rights Matilda Jennings was a dressmaker and wife of James A. Thompson, a Mason. He was the fourth born to his parents Silas and Mariah Bryan. He died in New York City, New York. Jenningss work even caught the attention of Frederick Douglass, the abolitionist hero. 1832 d. May 5, 1860). The wildlife of Florida is rich and varied, yet most of us are familiar with only a dozen or so species: the "well known endangered species such as manatees and panthers; those, like raccoons and squirrels, that have adapted to urban environments; the frightening alligators and black bears; and those like the armadillo who can't seem to cross the road. He called his method dry-scouring, a process now known as dry cleaning. He passed away on July 6th, 1535. "Biography of Thomas Jennings, First African American Patent Holder." Elizabeth Jennings became a schoolteacher, activist, and church organist and was the wife of Charles Graham, whom she married on June 18, 1860. Mary Bellis, Thomas Jennings: Thomas Jennings was the first African American to receive a patent, http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bljennings.htm; Joan Potter, African American Firsts (New York: Kensington Publishing Group, 2002). The jury awarded damages in the amount of $225.00, and $22.50 in costs. Forego a bottle of soda and donate its cost to us for the information you just learned, and feel good about helping to make it available to everyone. Later, he opened what would become a large and successful clothing shop in Lower Manhattan. It went all the way to the Supreme Court, with none other than attorney Chester Arthur, future President of the United States, winning the case for Jennings. Find everything you need on our complete sitemap directory. Posted by Ipresstv at 5:11 AM. In the meantime, here are 10 things to know about Team USA veteran Kerri Walsh Jennings: 1. Indiana is the 17th most populous state in the US, with 6,785,528 (2020 Census). He founded and was a trustee of the Abyssinian Baptist Church, a pillar in the Harlem African-American community. Jennings filed for a patent in 1820 and was granted a patent for the "dry-scouring" (dry cleaning) process he had invented just a year later. Thomas and Frances lived at the stables through the births of their first three children. The patent, which was issued in 1821, was for a dry-cleaning process. Edmund Jennings Randolph was born in the historic city of Williamsburg, Virginia on August 10th, 1753. What are some interesting facts about Thomas Jennings? Luckily for Jennings, he filed his patent at the right time. All Rights Reserved. Jennings and his daughter had a hand in the effort to desegregate public facilities, a movement that lasted well into the Civil Rights Era a century later. And, people of color, black people, were seen to be genetically inferior, says Rayvon Fouch, director of the American studies program at Purdue University. You rely on Marketplace to break down the worlds events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. Thomas Jennings stands in history as a noteworthy figure for being the first Black person to ever receive a patent, but his life should serve as an example of what was, and what could have been, for Black people in the earliest years of the United States. "He is the earliest that we have recorded," says Pat Sluby, a retired U.S. patent examiner and the author of ". Introduction. 10 Important Black Inventors in U.S. History, Famous Black Inventors of the 19th- and Early 20th-Centuries, Biography of John Stanard, Inventor of a Better Refrigerator, Biography of Nathaniel Alexander, Inventor of a Folding Chair, Biography of Garrett Morgan, Inventor of the Gas Mask, Biography of Elijah McCoy, American Inventor, Notable African American Patent Holders With Surnames of O, P, Q, R, Biography of Patricia Bath, American Doctor and Inventor, Biography of Eli Whitney, Inventor of the Cotton Gin, Biography of Lewis Latimer, Noted Black Inventor, Elias Howe: Inventor of the Lock Stitch Sewing Machine, Black History Month - African American Patent Holders - B. Christianity is the most popular religion, making up 72 percent of the population. Login to BlackFacts.com using your favorite Social Media Login. The case was successful; the judge ruled that it was unlawful to eject black people from public transportation so long as they were sober, well behaved, and free from disease. The lawyer was a young Chester A. Arthur, who would go on to become president in 1881. Running late, she boarded a streetcar of the Third Avenue Railroad Company at the corner of Pearl and Chatham streets. The patent was awarded on March 3, 1821 (US Patent 3306x) for his discovery of a process called dry-scouring which was the forerunner of today's modern dry-cleaning. Discover m. View this answer . Furthermore, the court said that the slave owner, not being the true inventor could not apply for a patent either. If a white person infringed on a black inventors patent, it would have been difficult to fight back, says Petra Moser, a professor of economics at New York Universitys Stern School of Business. If you cannot remember your login information, click the Forgot Password link to reset your password. At that time, patenting was seen to be a God-given ability. Jennings' daughter, Elizabeth, an activist like her father, was the plaintiff in a landmark lawsuit after being thrown off a New York City streetcar while on the way to church. Thomas Jennings earned a large amount of money as a tailor and even more with his dry scouring invention and most of the money he earned went to his abolitionist activities. Father of Mary (Jennings) Batte. Jefferson needed the cash to pay off debts, but he started buying more books. After the fire, the Patent Office (as it was called then) began numbering patents. Born about 1615 [location unknown] Son of [father unknown] and [mother unknown] Husband of Hannah (Grendon) Archer married 28 Mar 1648 in St Bartholomew the Less, City of London, England. A Patent Earned, But Lost. He was 65 years old when he died. Credits: Unsplash. Kerry and Misty dominated the field in 2004, 2008 and 2012, and now she's . " [U.S. Patent No. In 2004, Ken Jennings ended his legendary 74-game run with total earnings of over $2.5 million. Since 1986, the proportion of female graduates has increased 53%, and the proportion of male graduates has declined 39%. Garth Jennings was born on March 4, 1972. Thomas L Jennings, a New York abolitionist, was an African American innovator. Facts about Thomas More tell the readers about the English lawyer. Jennings' skills along with a patent granted by the state of New York on March 3 1821 for a dry-cleaning process called dry scouring . Some black inventors hid their race to avoid discrimination, even though the language of patent law was officially color-blind. Jennings showed a talent for music from a very young age. Bellis, Mary. Is traveling to Instagram-famous vacation spots ever worth the money? Thomas L. Jennings was the first Black person to ever receive a patent in the United States. Thomas Jennings died in New York City in 1856. Indiana FactsDemographics. from WTF Facts https://ift.tt/31LzdgA via IFTTT. Much of his apparently substantial earnings from the invention went towards the fight for abolition. Thomas, who earlier this month was named senior vice president for global sales, sees the A.I. Read more, Olympic winners, MVPS of every sport, and people who broke the color barrier. How TikTok is becoming a powerful consumer marketing tool, The inventors of the now-ubiquitous barcode received a patent 70 years ago, A new recruitment-focused twist on an old festival in Stratford-upon-Avon, Black geek culture represents a big business opportunity, Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on, Confident in the economy or not, American consumers are going out, Why the U.S. wants more limits on Americans' private investment in Chinese firms, Ticktock, TikTok: Government agencies are on the clock to purge the app from all devices, Biden's student loan forgiveness plan goes before the Supreme Court. Jennings was educated at Oxford High School and St. Anne's College, Oxford. Cookie Settings, The Inventive Spirit of African-Americans, invented an enormous number of technologies, Homeward Bound: Why Women Are Embracing the New Domesticity. There is a well-documented trend of growth among black or African American female medical school graduates. 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