There are too many black unsung heroes that are responsible for many things that we take for granted, from the SuperSoaker created by Lonnie Johnson, gas masks used by firefighters invented by Garret A. Morgan, to even the humble potato chip, which was born from chef George Crum’s frustration with a resort customer. So today, on the first day of February, let’s celebrate. Let’s celebrate a group of people who have given so much, and received so little for their efforts, and add on to your knowledge of black history by acknowledging the black pioneers of the automotive industry, such as George Washington Carver, who created synthetic rubber during the raw materials shortage of World War II, and Frederick McKinley Jones who created the technology to refrigerate freight trucks, allowing us to transport perishable goods over long distance and not have to only rely on local sources.

To read more, click here.