Every February 11th we all celebrate National Inventors’ Day. This day was declared by President Ronald Reagan in 1983 to honor the birthday of Thomas Edison, one of the most prolific and influential inventors in US history. Edison held more than 1,000 patents for his inventions, such as the light bulb, the phonograph, and the motion picture camera.
However, Edison is not the only inventor worth celebrating. Throughout history, many creative and innovative minds have shaped our world with their inventions. From Nikola Tesla and his alternating current motor to Dr. Shirley Jackson and her groundbreaking research on subatomic particles and László Bíró and his pen, inventors have made our lives easier, safer and more enjoyable.
That is why we’ll use National Inventors’ Day to learn about a special Haitian inventor who, with his knowledge and passion, has contributed to the quality of life of many people.
Haitian invention: Marc B Auguste and the “PortSouT”
Of Haitian origin, Marc B. Auguste Sr. is an eminent African-American inventor, who along with his eldest son and daughter-in-law, became part of the small minority of African-Americans who hold a patent on American soil, which was granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in 2006.
With a degree in Arts and General Mechanics from the University of Haiti in Port-au-Prince, a teaching diploma in Paris, and the head of the multimedia department at Thetford-Mines College. He then studied at the RCA Institute of Technology in New York, and in the late 1970s became a professor of electronics at the Technology College of Sherbrooke in Quebec.
Given his passion for instrumentality, invention and altruism, he identified needs and problems faced by many people with visual and physical disabilities and decided to find a solution, which led to his invention.
Known in its prototypical versions as “PortSouT”, Mr. Auguste developed with the help of his eldest son and daughter-in-law, an innovative multi-purpose portable coin organizer, which was designed and oriented to provide a better quality of life for people with physical and visual disabilities.
Endowed with features such as the practicality of use, small and easy to use, the device fits easily in the palm of a person’s hand and can hold many coins of different sizes, making it easy to extract them with a simple press of the thumb.
In this way, facilitating activities that were previously difficult, such as delivering the correct amount of money for all these people who have difficulties handling money due to a physical disability, visual disability or both, and allowing them greater independence, since they depend less measure of other people to make their purchases.
National Inventors’ Day is a great opportunity to learn more about all inventors and their innovations and to appreciate their contributions to society. It is also a way to inspire the next generation of inventors, who might have the potential to solve some of the biggest challenges that humanity faces today.
Also is a day to celebrate the spirit of innovation and curiosity that drives human progress. Let’s show our gratitude and admiration for the inventors who have made our world a better place, especially Mr. Auguste, one of the few African American that hold a patent in the US, and encourage the ones who will do so in the future. Happy National Inventors’ Day.