Inventors and Scientists

Lewis Howard Latimer (1848-1928) | Video

Lewis Howard Latimer wasn’t able to get an education. The lack of schooling didn’t stop him from learning. He taught himself to make mechanical drawings while he served in the Union Navy. His skills led him to be able to work with some famous inventors like Alexander Graham Bell. Latimer had an important role in the creation of the telephone. 

He also worked with Thomas Edison. Latimer invented something called a carbon filament. This piece helped out with the production of the incandescent light bulb.

While Latimer helped out two great inventors, he also had his own inventions, which included an “improved railroad car bathroom and an early air conditioning unit.”

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Sources

Biography.Com Editors. “Lewis Howard Latimer.” Biography, 4 Feb. 2014, www.biography.com/inventor/lewis-howard-latimer