Black History Month
As we celebrate Black History Month, remember the important contributions and achievements of African Americans throughout our nation’s history!
Elijah McCoy was born in Canada to parents who were slaves and had escaped slavery by way of the Underground Railroad. His parents really wanted him to get a good education. But they could not send him to the United States. So they saved up enough money to send Elijah to Scotland where he studied engineering. When he completed his studies he went to the United States, eager to work. But he was really disappointed. He tried very hard to get a job as an engineer, but nobody would hire him because he was black. Since he needed money he got a job with the railroad. His job was to shovel coal into the train engine, then stop the machine and oil it by hand. He started thinking to himself. Wouldn’t it be great if we could oil this machine without stopping it? He needed to oil the machine because when 2 moving objects rub up against each other they produce heat. Scientists call this “friction.”
Frederick Jones was born in Ohio in 1892 and fought in World War I. He had over 60 patents, but refrigeration was his specialty! He recognized a problem. Farmers would load their vegetables on a truck so that the truck could haul the vegetables to a market. Sometimes, it was a long haul and the food would spoil. So he invented a refrigeration system for the truck.
Katherine Johnson, born in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. By thirteen, she was attending the high school on the campus of historically black West Virginia State College. She was a space scientist. She studied how to steer and direct satellites.
One of HTHT experiments is called, The Real McCoy© So come join us on a fun filled adventure as we discover several very famous African American scientists and learn about their incredible contributions to science! All of these scientists all had incredible imaginations. They all had major struggles. Some of the scientists that we are going to learn about today lived a long time ago. Some are still alive today. But they all have several things in common. They are all African Americans who have overcome obstacles to make significant contributions to the field of science.
Check out our other AWESOME experiments here!
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