Lewis Howard Latimer Patents Carbon Filament for Incandescent Bulbs

Lewis Howard Latimer, son of escaped enslaved parents and a self-taught draftsman and inventor, patented an improved process for manufacturing carbon filaments in 1882, making incandescent bulbs longer-lasting and less expensive. He supervised installation of Edison's electric lighting systems in New York, Philadelphia, Montreal, and London, and was the only Black member of Edison's elite engineering team, the Edison Pioneers.