Early education
Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson is a famous African American inventor. After graduating from Roosevelt Senior High School as a valedictorian, she joined Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and graduated in theoretical physics.
Jackson was the first African American woman to earn a doctorate from MIT, and the second African American woman in the U.S. to earn a doctorate in physics.
Telephone inventions
Jackson invented Caller I.D. on telephones, which recognises and displays incoming call telephone numbers. This allows telephone users to check both known and unknown calls, and to know who was calling them before they answered. We take this for granted today, but it was revolutionary at the time! She also developed the Call Waiting feature, touch-tone telephone, and the portable fax machine.
In 2018, Jackson was awarded the W.E.B. Du Bois medal from the Hutchins Centre for African and African American Research at Harvard University. This medal honours people who have made big contributions to African American history.