George Washington Carver

Perhaps the most famous of all African American inventors, George Washington Carver was born in Diamond Grove, Missouri, where he was rescued from Confederate kidnappers as an infant.

The young Carver devoted himself completely to his studies, eventually earning a B.S. and M.S. from Iowa Agricultural College (now Iowa State University).

Carver is famous for inventing a method of crop rotation that would transform Southern agricultural practices. The famous African American inventor advised farmers to alternate soil-depleting crops like cotton with soil-enriching varieties such as peanuts, soybeans and sweet potatoes. Carver's suggestions were instrumental in restoring the greatly depleted Southern soil and helping to revitalize the economy in those regions.

Additionally, Carver developed more than 325 different uses for peanuts – from printer's ink to cooking oil – placing him among the very greatest black inventors in history.