through Stacy Jackson
November 8, 2023
You can thank Alice Walker, a Black woman and 20th century inventor, for creating the central heating system this winter.
The next time the temperature drops to unbearably low levels and you decide to turn up the heat on your thermostat, you can thank a Black woman named Alice H. Parker for her clever plan to also the way we heat our homes today.
Parker was born in 1895 in Morristown, New Jersey. He was a Black inventor in the early 20th century who created a central heating system that uses natural gas. According to Michigan Chroniclehis invention made heating homes safer and faster.
Before central heating, people relied on coal-burning stoves and open fireplaces to warm cold homes. Parker wanted to create a way for heat to be dispersed throughout the home while also improving the efficiency and safety of how homes are heated.
His unique idea of using natural gas provided a more abundant and cleaner resource. The revolutionary invention helped reduce the use of coal and reduce the risks associated with old methods of heating a residential space. Natural gas is a resource that is rarely used as a method of providing heat to homes.
Parker was one of the few black female inventors of her time. In 1919 he received a patent for his central heating system. People no longer need to gather around stoves or fireplaces to keep warm.
Winter is almost here, which means the cold weather is quickly approaching. Parker’s invention and its impact on how people kept their homes warm during the colder months were recognized, studied, and refined by engineers and manufacturers, leading to central heating systems. heating used in our homes today.
