Morristown, New Jersey (c 1895 -1920)

Alice H. Parker, an African American inventor who revolutionized modern heating. Parker filed a patent in 1919 that changed the way we heated our homes. At a time when women, especially black women, had little recognition in the scientific field, she was broke barriers and develop a major innovation. Parker filed a patent for a central heating system using natural gas. Her system proposed a centralized heat source capable of heating an entire house. Her design included natural gas for cleaner and more efficient combustion, and a network of ducts to distribute heat evenly throughout all rooms. Although, her design was not built as is, it laid the foundation for the modern heating technologies used today to supply centralized heating for millions of homes and buildings worldwide. What we know about Alice Parker, a ‘hidden figure’ in… | Canary Media