Joe Biden Says A Black Man Invented The Light Bulb, Not Thomas Edison

BYCole Blake18.9K Views
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Joe Biden, Light Bulb, Black Man
Joe Biden says it was a black man who invented the light bulb.

Speaking in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Thursday, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said that it was a black man who invented the light bulb, not a white man. Biden likely was likely referring to inventor Lewis Howard Latimer, a black man who greatly improved the light bulb in 1880.

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"People fear that which is different. We've got to, for example, why in God's name don't we teach history in history classes? A Black man invented the light bulb, not a White guy named Edison," Biden said. "There's so much — did anybody know before what recently happened that Black Wall Street in Oklahoma was burned to the ground. Anybody know these things? Because we don't teach them. We've got to give people facts."

Biden also referred to the 1921 Tulsa massacre and destruction of Black Wall Street in Oklahoma, saying this is an example of a historically significant moment that is not included in school history curricula.  

In addition to significant work on the light bulb, Latimer invented the first toilet for railroad carriages as well as an early forerunner of the air conditioner.

Biden's slight gaffe, Thursday, is one of his least egregious of the campaign, in which he's built a reputation as being prone to verbal mishaps. 

[Via]


About The Author
Cole Blake is currently an Editor at HotNewHipHop based out of Brooklyn, New York. He began working at the site as an intern back in 2018 while studying journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s graduated with a bachelor's degree and written extensively about a wide range of topics including pop culture, film & television, politics, video games, sports, and much more. He’s also covered music festivals such as Gov. Ball and Rolling Loud. You can find him publishing work for HNHH from Monday to Wednesday or on weekends. On the sports front, Cole’s a passionate NBA and NFL fan with his favorite teams being the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Lakers. He also roots for the Yankees whenever he finds himself at Yankee Stadium or the Red Storm when in the company of other SJU alumni. His favorite hip-hop artists are billy woods, Earl Sweatshirt, Cam’ron, MIKE, and Mach-Hommy.
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