What is Bessie Blount Griffin family background?
Bessie Griffin was born into meager circumstances on Nov. 24, 1914, in rural Virginia to George Woodard and Mary Elizabeth Griffin. She later took on her grandmother’s last name, Blount. She studied at Diggs Chapel Elementary School in Hickory, Va.
Who invented the electronic feeding device for amputees?
Bessie Blount
In 1952, Bessie Blount boarded a plane from New York to France to give away her life’s work. The 38-year-old inventor planned to hand over to the French military, free of charge, an extraordinary technology that would change lives for disabled veterans of the Second World War: an automatic feeding device.
Why did Bessie teach herself to write with both hands?
She also loved teaching herself new skills. Bessie liked writing with her left hand. But her elementary school teacher only wanted her to write with her right hand. So Bessie taught herself to write with both hands.
What was Bessie Blount Griffin known for?
Bessie Blount (1914-2009) was a physical therapist who worked with injured soldiers during World War II. She recognized their need and desire to do more on their own, and she invented an assistive device that permitted people who had lost limbs to feed themselves.
When was Bessie born?
November 24, 1914
Bessie Blount Griffin/Date of birth
Bessie Virginia Blount, pioneer physical therapist, inventor, and scientist, was born in Hickory (today Chesapeake), Virginia, on November 24, 1914.
Who was the first African American forensic scientist?
On this date, we mark the birth of Bessie Blount in 1914, a Black inventor and forensic scientist. She was born in Hickory, Virginia.
When did Bessie Blount Griffin make her invention?
Blount received a patent on her “Portable Receptacle Support” on April 24, 1951, three years after filing a patent.
When did Bessie Griffin invent the feeding tube?
Meet Bessie Blount Griffin, a physical therapist, inventor, and forensic scientist who invented an electronic feeding device in 1951 to help amputees feed themselves.
Who was the first black physical therapist?
Bessie Virginia Blount
Who was the first black forensic scientist?
On this date, we mark the birth of Bessie Blount in 1914, a Black inventor and forensic scientist. She was born in Hickory, Virginia. She was the daughter of William and Mary Blount.
How many patents did Bessie Blount Griffin have?
That same year Blount married Thomas Griffin, and the couple would have one son, Philip. In 1952 the French Government purchased the patent rights of the Portable Receptacle Support and put it to widespread use in military hospitals across the country and in some of its colonies.
Who invented the clothes wringer?
Ellen Eglin
In the late 1800s, Ellen Eglin revolutionized the chore of laundry with the invention of the clothes wringer and, in the process, made her mark on African American and women’s history. Born in 1849 in Washington, D.C., little is known about Eglin’s early life.
Who is Bessie Blount?
Bessie Virginia Blount, pioneer physical therapist, inventor, and scientist, was born in Hickory (today Chesapeake), Virginia, on November 24, 1914. In the sixth grade, she had to discontinue her elementary education, although she would later earn a GED after her family moved to New Jersey.
When did Bessie Blount get a patent?
For this, she received a patent under her married name, Bessie Griffin, in 1951. Blount reportedly attempted to interest the American Veteran’s Association in these inventions, but she found it difficult to get much support, despite the devices’ potential benefit to thousands of people’s lives.
Why did Blount end her education before she completed middle school?
However, a lack of public resources forced her to end her education before she had completed middle school. Blount’s family then moved from Virginia to New Jersey. There, Blount taught herself the material required to earn her GED.
What did Elizabeth Griffin Blount invent?
Griffin later invented a receptacle that was a simpler and smaller version of the same, designed to be worn around a patient’s neck. Known For: While working as a physical therapist, Blount invented assistive devices for amputees; she later made contributions to the field of forensic science.