Seeing History Differently

Seeing history differently is about identifying and recognizing triumphs through trying times. The people herein are only a few whom we have before us to demonstrate overcoming great tribulation.

Alice H. Parker (1895 – 1920)

An African-American inventor widely recognized for her patent filed for a gas furnace, which served as the basis for the development of modern heating systems in use today. She was highly educated, graduating with honors in 1910 from Howard University. In 2019, the National Society of Black Physicists honored Parker as an “African American inventor famous for her patented system of central heating using natural gas.” It called her invention a “revolutionary idea” for the 1920s, “that conserved energy and paved the way for the central heating systems”. The New Jersey Chamber of Commerce established the Alice H. Parker Women Leaders in Innovation Awards. Parker’s patent has served as a basis for the development of heating systems throughout the 20th century and today. Parker’s design, which allows for an individual to control the heating received for each room in a house, is recognizable in the zonal heating system, and especially the “smart home” technology, that is used by nearly all households in the current century.