Born September 4, 1848, Lewis Howard Latimer was a revolutionary inventor and designer. After joining the Navy as a young teen, Latimer was honorably discharged and became a low-income office boy at a patent firm. He taught himself how to use the tools used to sketch invention plans to be submitted for patents. Latimer quickly ascended in the firm and by 1872 he had been appointed head draftsman and his pay had increased by over 85%. In 1884, Latimer went to work with Thomas Edison, and invented a carbon filament that lasted longer than Edison’s paper filament. This made electrical lighting easier and more affordable for the average American. After this revolutionary development, Latimer went on to work for General Electric’s legal company,
