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Year: 1907
Who: Richard Bowie Spikes (1878–1965)
Where: San Francisco, California
What: Richard Bowie Spikes was an inventive African-American mechanic and entrepreneur known for his contributions to both everyday and industrial technologies. Over his career, he amassed a remarkable eight patents, many of which revolutionized automotive and mechanical systems. Spikes' inventive spirit was sparked by his diverse professional background, which included stints as a mechanic, saloon keeper, and barber. His early work in the mechanical world led to the development of devices that continue to shape modern industries.
Born in Texas (later part of Oklahoma) to Monroe and Medora Spikes, Richard was one of at least six siblings. He married Lula B. Charlton in 1900, and together they had one son. Spikes spent much of his early life moving across the southwestern United States, eventually settling in California.
Spikes’ most famous inventions are tied to his work with automobiles. His early invention, a beer tapper, was patented in 1907 and was the first of many advancements that would set the stage for his later successes. He designed a self-locking billiard cue rack in 1910 and a trolley pole arrester in 1920 to improve public transportation safety. However, Spikes' most enduring legacies are in the automotive field. His automatic gear shift system, developed in 1932, helped pave the way for modern automatic transmissions, while his 1962 automatic brake safety system is still used in buses as a fail-safe. Spikes is also credited with an early version of the automobile turn signal, which was implemented on a Pierce-Arrow motorcar in the 1910s.
In total, Spikes held eight patents, each a testament to his inventive genius and desire to improve the world around him. Spikes passed away in 1965 at the age of 86, but his impact on mechanics and technology continues to be felt.
Sources:
Websites:
BlackPast. (n.d.). Richard Spikes (1878-1965). https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/spikes-richard-1878-1965/
Google Patents. (n.d.). Patent US1889814A - Automatic gear shift by Richard Spikes. https://patents.google.com/patent/US1889814A/en
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