The Inventor of Our Present

February is Black History Month, a month that honours Black Canadians and their communities’ legacy.  The theme for this year’s Black History Month is “The Future is Now.”

We are learning a lot about what people are doing to improve our future; there have been great strides in community and political movements. We live in a time of significant change. Everyone has a voice, and we are hearing from people that have been historically silenced.

But life as we know it to be now, with all the upheaval and comforts that we endure and enjoy, may have been very different without the inventor, Lewis Latimer.

Mr. Latimer, while working with Thomas Edison, made significant improvements to the incandescent lightbulb. How significant? He invented the carbon filament. While it may not have been efficient, the carbon filament led the incandescent lamp to popularity in the 20th century because it obsoleted gas lamps’ and the fire hazards associated with them. The carbon filament was the precursor to the tungsten filament incandescent light.

We have Lewis Latimer to thank for affordable and efficient lighting.

Here are some of his other inventions and improvements:

• The railroad car toilet
• The telephone – alongside Alexander Graham Bell
• He supervised the installation of lighting in major cities such as London, New York, and Philidelphia.
• A precursor to window air conditioning units

While our future is now, we wouldn’t be able to live as comfortably as we do in this country without Lewis Latimer’s ingenuity. And so during this month, and every time we turn on a light, I will be celebrating the man who helped give us light.

*Edited to say, Lewis Latimer was an American (born in New York) but is highlighted here because he was a lighting community member.

Photo Source – Pinterest