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Black History Month remembers Lewis H. Latimer

Necessity is the mother of invention. Thomas Edison ran with this on more than one occasion – including creating the incandescent light bulb. Lewis H. Latimer was a skilled draftsman and employed by Alexander Graham Bell to write the patent for the telephone in 1876. A few years later, Latimer was hired by Edison rival - Hiram Maxim at the U.S. Electric Company. Maxim wanted to develop a longer lasting light bulb and assigned the task to Latimer. Latimer, together with co-inventor Joseph Nichols, improved upon Edison’s design, making the light bulb more affordable, longer-lasting and accessible to the public by introducing a carbon filament into the bulb’s tube.

Latimer’s invention of the Electric Lamp was patented in September 1881 (US Pat. No. 247,097).

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Thomas Edison was so impressed with Latimer’s skills, he hired him to work in the legal department of Edison Electric Light Company!

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Join Behmke Innovation Group, in conjunction with the Edison Awards @edisonawards as we celebrate the innovation of Lewis Latimer during Black History Month.

#blackhistorymonth #edisonawards #invention #bigiplaw #patentfunfacts