George Washington Carver
George Washington Carver
George Washington Carver was born in 1860 in Diamond Grove, Missouri and is one of the most celebrated and respected scientists in United States history as his important discoveries and methods enabled farmers through the South and Midwest to become wealthy and prosperous individuals, all due to peanuts. George, being the sickly child of two slaves was very frail, allowed him not to be able to work in the fields but he did possess a great interest in plants and was very eager to learn about them. After several years of attaining an education in different parts of the United States, in 1896 Carver received his master’s degree in agriculture and in 1897, discovered two fungi that would be named after him. George later began to instruct nearby farmers on his various methods of improving the soil and taught them how to rotate their crops to promote better soil quality. He was well-known for his idea of planting peanuts for nutrients to be retained in the soil, allowing crops such as tobacco and cotton to grow in abundance and of tremendous quality. Carver did not stop with these discoveries though. From the inexpensive pecan he was able to develop over 75 products. Eventually, Carver’s fame grew and grew until he was invited to speak before the United States Congress and was consulted by supermen of industry and invention. Henry Ford, head of Ford Motor Company invited Carver to his Dearborn, Michigan Plant where the two devised a way to use goldenrod, a plant weed, to create synthetic rubber. Thomas Edison, the great inventor was so enthusiastic about this that he asked Carver to move to work at the Edison Laboratories at an annual salary of $100,000 per year and state of the art facilities, a very generous offer which Carver shockingly declined. In terms of achievements, George Carver was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce of Britain in 1916, the Spingarn Medal from the National Association
George Washington Carver was born in 1860 in Diamond Grove, Missouri and is one of the most celebrated and respected scientists in United States history as his important discoveries and methods enabled farmers through the South and Midwest to become wealthy and prosperous individuals, all due to peanuts. George, being the sickly child of two slaves was very frail, allowed him not to be able to work in the fields but he did possess a great interest in plants and was very eager to learn about them. After several years of attaining an education in different parts of the United States, in 1896 Carver received his master’s degree in agriculture and in 1897, discovered two fungi that would be named after him. George later began to instruct nearby farmers on his various methods of improving the soil and taught them how to rotate their crops to promote better soil quality. He was well-known for his idea of planting peanuts for nutrients to be retained in the soil, allowing crops such as tobacco and cotton to grow in abundance and of tremendous quality. Carver did not stop with these discoveries though. From the inexpensive pecan he was able to develop over 75 products. Eventually, Carver’s fame grew and grew until he was invited to speak before the United States Congress and was consulted by supermen of industry and invention. Henry Ford, head of Ford Motor Company invited Carver to his Dearborn, Michigan Plant where the two devised a way to use goldenrod, a plant weed, to create synthetic rubber. Thomas Edison, the great inventor was so enthusiastic about this that he asked Carver to move to work at the Edison Laboratories at an annual salary of $100,000 per year and state of the art facilities, a very generous offer which Carver shockingly declined. In terms of achievements, George Carver was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce of Britain in 1916, the Spingarn Medal from the National Association