Latimer, Lewis
1848-1928 · Contribution: 1881
Inventor and draftsman
Carbon filament for incandescent light bulbs; patent drafting for telephone

Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Quick facts
- Born
- 1848, Chelsea, Massachusetts
- Active since
- 1874
- Category
- Technology & Engineering
- Best known for
- Improved carbon filament for the light bulb
Impact on the world
The son of formerly enslaved parents, Latimer made electric light more practical and worked at the center of two era-defining inventions, the light bulb and the telephone.
Sources
- National Inventors Hall of Fame
1 more sources and references are available to members.
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