Although Black History Month is over, the celebration of black people does not need to stop. March is Women’s History Month, a perfect time to acknowledge and highlight the accomplishments and contributions of black women.

The theme for Women’s History Month 2025 is “Moving Forward Together! Women Educating & Inspiring Generations.” Black women have been doing this for centuries. Their ingenuity has made everyday life easier. Here are a few black female inventors and inventions that have impacted our quality of life.

• Patricia Bath: Invented the Laserphaco Probe, a laser cataract treatment device.
• Sarah Boone: Invented the ironing board.
• Marie Van Brittan Brown: Invented the first closed-circuit TV security system.
• Marian Croak: Invented Voice Over Internet Protocol (voice calls over the internet).
• Lisa Gelobter: Contributed to creating the ‘GIF’ animated image format.
• Sarah E. Goode: Invented folding bed. This design was the precursor to the modern Murphy bed.
• Dr. Shirley Jackson: Helped develop the technology behind caller ID and call waiting.
• Ruane Jeter: Invented the Tiltster, a toaster with a digital clock that allowed users to control how brown they wanted their bread.
• Katherine Johnson: A mathematician who worked with NASA Space Task Force. She provided critical trajectory analysis for the first human US space flight. She was highlighted in the film Hidden Figures.
• Marjorie S. Joyner: Created a permanent perming and waving machine for hair for the company in 1928.
• Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner: An innovator in women’s hygiene; she developed the adjustable sanitary belt.
• Lyda D. Newman: Invented an improved hair brush.
• Alice H. Parker: Invented the first central heating system powered by natural gas. This is considered a precursor to the HVAC system.
• Theora Stephens: Created the pressing/curling iron in 1983.
• Valerie Thomas: Invented the illusion transmitter which creates 3-D optical illusions of images and replicates images at remote locations.
• Mary Van Brittan: Invented the first closed-circuit television. Her designs are used in security systems and live broadcast surveillance.
• Dr. Gladys West: Contributed to mathematical modeling of the shape of the Earth, and her work on the development of satellite geodesy models, that were later incorporated into the Global Positioning System (GPS).
• Jane Cooke Wright was an oncologist whose research led to chemotherapy treatments for cancer. She was also the co-founder of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

The next time you iron your clothes, use your GPS, toast your bread, create a GIF, brush your hair, turn on the heater, or check your caller ID, thank these women!

Read Maternal Health Disparities: A Racial Injustice