Celebrating Black History month 2024
It’s Black History month! Join us in celebrating some of the incredible individuals that not only pushed engineering beyond what we thought was possible, but helped shape the world as we know it.
Elijah McCoy – McCoy studied mechanical engineering at The University of Edinburgh in 1859 before returning to the US. As a result of racial prejudice he was denied skilled employment so instead became an oiler and fireman for the Michigan Railway. After studying the inefficiencies inherent in the existing system of oiling axles, McCoy invented a lubricating cup that distributed oil evenly over the engine’s moving parts. Although McCoy’s achievements were recognized in his own time, his name did not appear on the majority of the products that he devised.
Mary Jackson – Mary W. Jackson successfully overcame the barriers of segregation and gender bias to become NASA’s first black female engineer in 1958 and a leader in ensuring equal opportunities for future generations. Mary began her engineering career in an era in which female engineers of any background were a rarity; in the 1950s, she very well may have been the only black female aeronautical engineer in the field. For nearly two decades she enjoyed a productive engineering career, authoring or co-authoring a dozen or so research reports, most focused on the behaviour of the boundary layer of air around airplanes.
Walt Braithwaite – In 1975, Braithwaite was the senior engineer responsible for the development and implementation of computer aided design software at Boeing, otherwise known as CAD. This invention went on to revolutionise the way engineers across the world designed technical products, removing the need for pen and paper drafting. He was a firm believer in getting the job done quietly and was regarded throughout Boeing for his integrity, wisdom, and amiable, unassuming demeanor.
