Imagine if there were no Black people in the world. What would the World be like without Black inventors? This is the story of a little boy who finds out, so lets see what he discovers…….. Resource Author: Ms. Sam Stacey, Cherry Orchard Primary School, Birmingham

If you would like to find out more about any of these inventors just click on their name. This will take you to a website where you can do some more research. Read carefully because there is a quiz at the end to see how much you have remembered.

This is the story of a little boy named Ajani, who woke up one morning and asked his Mom, “What if there were no Black people in the World?” His Mom thought about that for a while and then she said “Ajani why don’t you follow me about today and let’s just see what it would be like if there were no Black people in the world. She told Ajani to get dressed and they would get started. Let’s follow Ajani to his bedroom…..

Ajani ran to his room to put on his clothes and shoes. But there were no shoes, and his clothes were all creased. His Mom looked for the iron, but when she reached for the ironing board, it was no longer there. This is because Sarah Boone, a Black woman, invented the ironing board and Jan E. Matzelinger, a Black man invented the shoe lasting machine. Sarah BooneJan E. Matzelinger What did his Mom say about that?

“Oh well,” said Mom, “Go and do your hair.” Ajani ran to his room to comb his hair, but the comb was not there. This is because, Walter Sammons, a Black man, invented the comb.Walter Sammons So Ajani decided to just brush his hair instead, but the brush was also gone. You see, Lydia O.Newman, a Black woman invented the brush.Lydia O.Newman Gosh Ajani was a mess, with creased clothes, no shoes and untidy hair! Let’s see what happens next…….

Mom said to Ajani “Never mind let’s do some jobs around the house and then take a little trip to the local shops.” Ajani’s first job was to sweep the floor. He swept up a huge pile of dirt, but when he reached for the dustpan it was not there. This is because, Lloyd P. Ray, a Black man, invented the dustpan. So he just swept his huge pile of dirt into the corner and left it there. His Mom would not be very happy about that!Lloyd P. Ray

Ajani looked around the room to see what he should do next. He realised that his next job was to mop the kitchen floor, but when he looked the mop was also gone. This is because, Thomas W. Stewart, a Black man, invented the mop. Thomas W. Stewart

Ajani was thirsty after all his sweeping so he went to get a cold drink, but the fridge was gone. The reason for this was because a Black man John Standard invented the fridge.John Standard Ajani could not have the cold drink he wanted, so he went off to find Mom.

Ajani’s Mom told him it was time for him to do his homework for his teacher Mrs. Stacey. So Ajani went to get a pencil, but it was blunt, he needed to sharpen it. He went to get the sharpener, but it was not there. This is because it was invented by a Black man, John Love. Ajani decided to use his fountain pen, but it was not in the drawer, this is because, a Black man William Purvis invented the fountain pen.John LoveWilliam Purvis So Ajani could not do his homework so…..

Ajani and his mother decided to go to the shops and get something for tea. When they went onto the front drive Ajani noticed that the grass was very long. This was because a Black man John Burr invented the lawnmower.John Burr Suddenly Ajani heard a crashing noise as he looked up two cars banged into each other at the end of his street, where there were once traffic lights. Now they had gone, because you see they were invented by a Black man Garrett A. Morgan.Garrett A. Morgan

Ajani and his Mom walked to the nearby shops, and when they got there they went to take the lift up to the second floor, but there was no lift. This is because a Black man Alexander Miles invented the elevator. So they had to walk up the stairs. Ajani was beginning to get the message.

After they finished their shopping they went home, and because it was getting dark they switched on the light in the house, but there were no light bulbs. This is due to the fact that Lewis Howard Latimer, a Black man invented the filament inside a light bulb. Lewis Howard Latimer

Ajani and his Mom sat in the dark talking about all the things that we take for granted, that would not be available if it had not been for these Black men and women. Ajani and his Mom had an awful lot to talk about. Let’s see how much you can remember…..

We have learnt a lot about the things that Black people have given to us, so let’s see if you can remember who invented each of the things Ajani missed during his day. Click here to begin your quiz Go to the next page to have a go at a word search about Black Inventors.

Click here to go to a word search about Black inventors. You can then print it out and fill it in. If you are interested in other Black role models click here. Click here for another site and quiz on Black inventors