Matthew Cherry developed two devices that would one day evolve into very useful items for transportation. The first device was called a velocipede and consisted of a metal frame upon which were attached two or three wheels. Someone sitting on the seat of the apparatus could propel themselves forward at considerable speeds by moving their feet along the ground in a fast walking or running motion. Cherry’s model, which he patented on May 8, 1888, greatly improved upon other similar devices and has evolved into what are now known as the bicycle and the tricycle.
Seven years later, Cherry set out to solve a problem with streetcars. Whenever the front of a streetcar accidentally collided with another object, the streetcar was severely damaged, often having to be totally replaced. Cherry patented the street car fender on January 1, 1895 and added safety for passengers and employees. The fender, which was a piece of metal attached to the front of the streetcar, acted as a shock absorber, thereby diminishing the force of the impact in the event of an accident. This device has been modified through the years and is now used on most transportation devices.
PS… I know that’s not Matthew Cherry on the page scroll but I thought I would show Sharpton missing out on another Black teachable moment!
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great bio. black people have always been problem solvers
Yeah, I couldn’t find a picture for him. I just wanted to highlight something that we all use like a bike and so we can pass that kind of knowledge on.
I surprise myself when I look up these guys and find inventions and businesses that I have never heard of. We did a lot but no one says anything we built past the slaves who built the capital!
it’s a damn shame but u know what? i dont even worry about it because it’s documented to the point where it made it to the web. it’s for us to magnify it and make it known. no one’s going to do that for us. good job.
Well it’s just a opportunity for someone to create a Black History reader or Encarta like CD documenting our history. I was thinking about doing it myself later in life and entitling it WHERE WERE WE!. Mfers always show people dancing the Charleston but WHERE WERE WE! During all this history that went down what in the hell were Black folks doing.
I was going to make it parallel ish that people already know in American History. So the Depression how did Black Folks handle it. WWI and WWII how were Black folks effected. So it’s the same events but only from how it effected us.
You’re right its up to us and I think we can do it relatively easy. There is a young cat who pushes African American history books at my barber shop and he’s doing pretty good with the chips!
hmmmm…that’s a really good idea. u really dont hear much about blacks in history except slavery and the civil rights era.
Yeah! Hey if you want to do something with it go ahead. I don’t know if I’ll ever get around to all the things I think about. The information is already out there so anyone who just organizes it in a chronological order should be able to sell them.
I was thinking about putting it out in a DVD/CD for 5 bucks and marketing it towards middle class Black folks as a supplement to their child’s education. A book might be too bulky but the same information on a CD that has a little reader with it like those Cheat Sheet books on a college campus will not look as intimidating.
Take it and run with it. I’m sure no one will actually put any wheels on the hustle and move it!
maybe i will. i’ve actually started working on the children’s books and that could be an extension of it. i think i have a couple of pretty good characters
@Keish – Lil FreeMan seems like a great character name!
lmao! i gotta research that one…i think i’ve heard it before