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).

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

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

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