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Pharmacist Lunsford Richardson made Vicks a household name throughout the nation, but his popular product did not do the same for him.
Even in his native North Carolina, where his most celebrated of chemical concoctions has been right under our stuffy noses and on our congested chests for generations, the mention of Richardson’s name elicits blank stares from all but those who study and cherish history.
Richardson’s salve, Vicks VapoRub, helped the world breathe easier during the devastating influenza pandemic of 1918 and during the countless colds and flus of our childhoods, yet most of us couldn’t pick Lunsford Richardson out of a one-man police lineup, much less a who’s who of medical pioneers.
Why didn’t Richardson — by all accounts a creative inventor and smart businessman — ever become as famous as those vapors packed into the familiar squat blue jar?
Because his name wouldn’t fit on the jar.
That’s one version of the story. According to company and family lore, Richardson initially dubbed his promising new product Richardson’s Croup and Pneumonia Cure Salve. Realizing that this name didn’t exactly roll off the tongue nor fit when printed on a small medicine jar, Richardson changed the name to honor his brother-in-law, Dr. Joshua Vick. Another account suggests the inventive druggist plucked the name from a seed catalog he’d been perusing that listed the Vick Seed Co.
The truth may never be known. What is known, though, is that Lunsford Richardson created a medicinal marvel for the ages, the likes of which may never be equaled.
Croupy beginnings
A Johnston County native born in 1854, Richardson loved chemistry and hoped to study it at Davidson College. The college’s chemistry program at the time wasn’t as strong as he’d hoped it would be, so he studied Latin instead, graduating with honors in three years. He returned to Johnston County and taught school, but it wasn’t long before the young man’s love of chemistry got the best of him. In 1880, he moved to Selma to work with his physician brother-in-law, Dr. Vick. It was not uncommon in those days for doctors to dispense drugs themselves, but Vick was so busy seeing patients that he teamed up with Richardson, allowing him to handle the pharmacy duties for him. Richardson relied on his knowledge of Latin to help him learn the chemical compounds required to become a pharmacist, and that’s when he began to experiment with recipes for the product that would become Vicks VapoRub.
It wasn’t until Richardson moved to his wife’s hometown of Greensboro in 1890 that his magical salve and other products he created began to take off.
“He was a man of great intellect and talent,” says Linda Evans, community historian for the Greensboro Historical Museum, which has an exhibit devoted to Richardson and Vicks.
“Druggists at the time fashioned their own remedies a lot, and he created a number of remedies, in addition to his magic salve, that he sold under the name of Vick’s Family Remedies. He was obviously a man of such creativity.”
In Greensboro, working out of a downtown drugstore he purchased (where he once employed a teenaged William Sydney Porter, the future short story writer O. Henry), Richardson patented some 21 medicines. The wide variety of pills, liquids, ointments, and assorted other medicinal concoctions included the likes of Vick’s Chill Tonic, Vick’s Turtle Oil Liniment, Vick’s Little Liver Pills and Little Laxative Pills, Vick’s Tar Heel Sarsaparilla, Vick’s Yellow Pine Tar Cough Syrup, and Vick’s Grippe Knockers (aimed at knocking out la grippe, an old-timey phrase for the flu).
These products sold with varying degrees of success, but the best seller in the lineup of Richardson’s remedies was Vick’s Magic Croup Salve, which he introduced in 1894. And by all accounts, necessity was the key to its success.
“He had what they referred to as a croupy baby — a baby with a lot of coughing and congestion,” explains Richardson’s great-grandson, Britt Preyer of Greensboro. “So as a pharmacist, he began experimenting with menthols from Japan and some other ingredients, and he came up with this salve that really worked. That’s how it all started.”
Another version of the story suggests that all three of the Richardson children caught bad colds at the same time, and Richardson, dissatisfied with the traditional treatment of the day, which included poultices and a vapor lamp, spent hours at his pharmacy developing his own treatment.
Richardson’s salve — a strong-smelling ointment combining menthol, camphor, oil of eucalyptus, and several other oils, blended in a base of petroleum jelly — was a chest-soothing, cough-suppressing, head-clearing sensation. When the salve was rubbed on the patient’s chest, his or her body heat vaporized the menthol, releasing a wave of soothing, medicated vapors that the patient breathed directly into the lungs.
Vicks in the mailbox
In 1911, Richardson’s son Smith, by now a successful salesman for his father’s company, recommended discontinuing all of the company’s products except for Vick’s Magic Croup Salve. He believed the salve could sell even better if the company stopped investing time and money in the other, less successful remedies. He also suggested renaming the salve Vicks VapoRub, according to the company’s history timeline, to “help dramatize the product’s performance.” Richardson agreed, and a century later, the name’s still the same.
Meanwhile, Richardson intensified his marketing efforts by providing free goods to druggists who placed large orders and publishing coupons for free samples in newspapers. He also advertised on billboards and sent promotional mailings to post office boxes, addressed to Boxholder rather than the individual’s name, thus earning him the distinction of being the father of junk mail.
In 1925, Vicks even published a children’s book to help promote the product. The book told the story of two elves, Blix and Blee, who rescued a frazzled mother whose sick child refused to take nasty-tasting medicines. Their solution, of course, was the salve known as Vicks VapoRub.
Expanding and experimenting
As successful as the marketing campaign was, nothing sold Vicks VapoRub like the deadly Spanish flu outbreak that ravaged the nation in 1918 and 1919, killing hundreds of thousands of Americans. Loyal Vicks customers and new customers stocked up on the medicine to stave off or fight the disease.
According to the company’s history timeline, VapoRub sales skyrocketed from $900,000 to $2.9 million in a single year because of the pandemic. The Vicks plant in Greensboro operated around the clock, and salesmen were pulled off the road to help at the manufacturing facility in an effort to keep up with demand.
As the flu spread across the nation, Richardson grew ill with pneumonia in 1919 and died. Smith took over the company. Vicks continued to grow, buying other companies until Procter & Gamble bought it in the 1980s. Through the years, Vicks continued adding new products to its arsenal of cold remedies: cough drops, nose drops, inhalers, cough syrup, nasal spray, Formula 44, NyQuil. And whatever success those products attained, they got there standing on the broad shoulders of Richardson.
Richardson will never be a household name, but his salve has held that status for more than a century — and may do so for the next hundred years. And for Richardson, were he still around, that ought to be enough to clear his head.
A cure-all salve
Vicks users have claimed the salve can cure and heal many maladies. Even though Vicks doesn’t say the salve works for these problems, people still believe.
Toenail fungus: Rub the salve on your toenails, cover with socks, and sleep your fungus problems away.
Cough: For a similar fix to a nagging cough, some believe rubbing Vicks on the soles of your feet can fix the problem.
Dandruff: Rub Vicks directly on the scalp, and your flakes may just disappear.
Chapped lips: Petroleum jelly is one of the ingredients in Vicks, and some say the ointment can help heal cracked lips.
Mosquito bites: If you smooth Vicks on the red bumps on your legs and arms, it can supposedly take the itch right out.
Warts: Dab Vicks on the wart, cover with duct tape, and it may fall off in a few days.
Greensboro Historical Museum
130 Summit Avenue
Greensboro, N.C. 27401
(336) 373-2043
greensborohistory.org
See historical Vicks VapoRub bottles and learn about Lunsford Richardson.
#VICKS#Vicks vapo rub#Lunsford Richardson#Vicks VapoRub#spanish american flu#Spanish flu outbreak#1918#1919#pneumonia#Black Inventors
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#black beauty#black history#nailsoftheday#nail art#acrlyic#black power#black and gold#gold grillz#90 aesthetic#grillz#black love#gold rings#all gold everything#black inventors
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#black history#music#black music#roy hamilton#before elvis#elvis presley#blacklivesmatter#black excellence#black inventors#tik tok
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#blackhistory#nathaniel alexander#folding chairs#black man#black inventors#inventor#creativeminds#african american#do your own research#chairs#furniture#fold#have a seat
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#talkin#tik tok#food#recipes#nikki.mov#black inventors#Garrett morgan#fredrick McKinley jones#marie van britney brown
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Shining a Light on Lewis Latimer A Visionary Who Transformed Technology
#lewis latimer#lewis howard latimer#black inventor#black inventors#black power#black excellence#black history#black tik tok
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Black inventors
From Perplexity:
Famous black inventors have significantly contributed to various fields, from everyday household items to groundbreaking technological advancements. Here are some notable figures:
George Crum (1824-1914): A chef who is credited with inventing the potato chip in 1853[1].
Frederick McKinley Jones (1893-1961): Developed refrigeration equipment for trucks, trains, ships, and planes, receiving over 40 patents. His invention, the Thermo King, revolutionized the food and medical transport industries[1].
Granville T. Woods (1856-1910): Accumulated almost 60 patents, improving railroad functioning. Notably, he invented the induction telegraph system for train communication[1].
George Washington Carver (1864-1943): An agricultural chemist who developed 518 products from peanuts and sweet potatoes, including ink, dye, soap, and synthetic rubber[1].
Madam C.J. Walker (1867-1919): Became the first African American woman self-made millionaire by creating a line of hair products for African American women[1].
Garrett Morgan (1877-1963): Invented the traffic signal and a safety hood that served as a prototype for the gas mask[1].
Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner: Patented the sanitary belt in 1957, a significant advancement in women's health and hygiene[1].
Thomas L. Jennings (1791–1859): The first African American to receive a U.S. patent, for a dry-cleaning process[4].
Patricia Bath (1942-2019): Invented a laser cataract treatment, becoming the first African American female doctor to receive a medical patent[4].
Mark Dean (1957-present): Holds over 20 patents, including contributions to the creation of the color PC monitor and the first gigahertz chip[4].
Elijah McCoy (1844-1929): Known for his invention of the automatic lubricator for oiling steam engines, leading to the phrase "the real McCoy" to denote something authentic[4].
These inventors have left a lasting impact on society, demonstrating ingenuity and perseverance in the face of challenges.
Citations:
[1] https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/work-money/g30877473/african-american-inventors/
[2] https://www.parents.com/kids/education/world-changing-black-inventors-that-every-kid-should-know-about/
[3] https://www.black-inventor.com
[4] https://www.biography.com/inventors/g46697619/famous-black-inventors
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_African-American_inventors_and_scientists
From Gemini (formerly Bard):
20 Famous Black Investors with Short Descriptions:
Dr. Shirley Jackson: First Black woman to earn a doctorate in nuclear physics, invested in research and development for the U.S. Department of Defense.
Robert F. Smith: Founded Vista Equity Partners, a private equity firm with over $85 billion in assets under management. Known for his philanthropic endeavors.
Oprah Winfrey: Media mogul and investor, known for her investments in cable channels, production companies, and Weight Watchers.
Udayan I. Lekhraj: Founded CMG Partners, a private equity firm specializing in healthcare investments. Advocate for diversity and inclusion in venture capital.
Catherine Hughes: Founded Urban One, a media company serving the African American community. First Black woman to chair a publicly traded company in the U.S.
Rodney Bryant: Co-founded JUST Capital, a firm that measures and incentivizes corporations to prioritize stakeholder capitalism.
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf: Former President of Liberia, Nobel Peace Prize winner. Focused on economic development and investment in her country.
Ronald Lauder: CEO of Estee Lauder Companies, known for his investments in the beauty industry and philanthropic work.
Charles R. Bronfman: Chairman of The Seagram Company Ltd., invested in various industries including entertainment, real estate, and philanthropy.
John Rogers Jr.: Founded Ariel Investments, a mutual fund company with over $28 billion in assets under management. Advocate for responsible investing.
Marc Morial: Former mayor of New Orleans, currently president of the National Urban League. Focused on economic empowerment of Black communities.
Ronald Watkins: Founding CEO of Watkins Investing Group, invests in real estate and businesses within the Black community.
Melody Hobson: President and CEO of Ariel Investments, known for her work on financial literacy and diversity in boardrooms.
Aisha Evans: Founded BE Capital, a venture capital firm focused on Black and Latinx tech entrepreneurs.
Kevin Hart: Comedian and investor, known for his investments in production companies, streaming platforms, and sports teams.
Jay-Z: Rapper and entrepreneur, known for his investments in music streaming, sports teams, and venture capital funds.
Will Smith: Actor and investor, known for his investments in production companies, media platforms, and venture capital funds.
Serena Williams: Tennis champion and investor, known for her investments in venture capital funds focused on women and diverse founders.
Rihanna: Singer and entrepreneur, known for her investments in beauty brands, fashion lines, and technology startups.
LeBron James: Basketball player and investor, known for his investments in media companies, production companies, and technology startups.
Please note: This list is not exhaustive and can be debated in terms of individual importance and impact.
Reading List on Black Inventors:
Black Inventors: Lives That Mattered by Darlene R. Medford
Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly
Lifting the Veil: Celebrating the Unsung Heroes of Black History by Michael Hill
Lost Genius: The Forgotten Black Inventors Who Changed the World by Dennis Freeman
Pioneering Women in American Mathematics: From Agnes Scott to Emmy Noether by Pamela Prochazka
Black Inventors in Science and Technology by Shirley J. Smith
A Colored Man's Reminiscences of James M. Whitfield: With Recollections of the Early Struggles of Colored Men in Boston by Wilbur H. Siebert
Inventing the Future: Black Inventors in Science and Technology by Geneva Gay
African Americans in Science, Math, and Invention by Darlene R. Medford
Black Inventors in the United States by Darlene R. Medford
This list offers a variety of books covering different periods and areas of innovation by Black inventors. Consider exploring further based on your specific interests.
I hope this information is helpful!
#african american history#black history month#black history month 2024#dalle3#midjourney#black inventors#blackhistorymonth#africanamericanhistory#afrofuturism#solar punk#steampunk
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The first Black-owned car company was C. R. Patterson and Sons
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So many Black Indigenous People History goes unnoticed and you have to wonder why this sinister plot is still relevant today.
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Lights last longer thanks to Mr. Lewis Howard Latimer 💡👏🏿
#black history#black history month#lightbulb moment#carbon filament#yamnbananas#trillnoir#digital art#glitché#art#lightbulb#incandescent#black inventors#national inventors hall of fame#engineering#thomas edison#Lewis Harold Latimer#american history
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Not So Fast there.. we got some corrections to make to this hoax
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and also this continues where that one left off
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and in case you just love Black Scientific Excellence enjoy this too
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this final video is for those who didn't come to learn, but to argue.
Sit Down, get a cool drink and watch this one, to unravel those lies you were tricked into believing. KNOW Black People INVENTED Most of what you call modern technology. including this handy dandy device right here
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So No..
#Black Inventors#white lies#inventions that changed society#air conditioning#central heating#friction heat#shoe lasting machine#blue baby syndrome#HenLac Cells#Cellphones#Youtube
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Snippet of a New York Times article from 1910 describes founding of Mound Bayou, a town founded on the wealth of a steamboat patent. SundayMagazine.org
America has long been the land of innovation. More than 13,000 years ago, the Clovis people created what many call the “ first American invention” – a stone tool used primarily to hunt large game. This spirit of American creativity has persisted through the millennia, through the first American patent granted in 1641 and on to today.
One group of prolific innovators, however, has been largely ignored by history: Black inventors born or forced into American slavery. Though U.S. patent law was created with color-blind language to foster innovation, the patent system consistently excluded these inventors from recognition.
A New York Times article from 1910 describes founding of Mound Bayou, a town founded on the wealth of a steamboat patent. SundayMagazine.org
As a law professor and a licensed patent attorney, I understand both the importance of protecting inventions and the negative impact of being unable to use the law to do so. But despite patents being largely out of reach to them throughout early U.S. history, both slaves and free African-Americans did invent and innovate.
Why Patents Matter
In many countries around the world, innovation is fostered through a patent system. Patents give inventors a monopoly over their invention for a limited time period, allowing them, if they wish, to make money through things like sales and licensing.
The patent system has long been the heart of America’s innovation policy. As a way to recoup costs, patents provide strong incentives for inventors, who can spend millions of dollars and a significant amount of time developing a invention.
Patent Office relief on the Herbert C. Hoover Building. Neutrality
The history of patents in America is older than the U.S. Constitution, with several colonies granting patents years before the Constitution was created. In 1787, however, members of the Constitutional Convention opened the patent process up to people nationwide by drafting what has come to be known as the Patent and Copyright Clause of the Constitution. It allows Congress:
This language gives inventors exclusive rights to their inventions. It forms the foundation for today’s nationwide, federal patent system, which no longer allows states to grant patents.
Though the language itself was race-neutral, like many of the rights set forth in the Constitution, the patent system didn’t apply for Black Americans born into slavery. Slaves were not considered American citizens and laws at the time prevented them from applying for or holding property, including patents. In 1857, the U.S. commissioner of patents officially ruled that slave inventions couldn’t be patented.
Slaves’ Inventions Exploited by Owners
During the 17th and 18th centuries, America was experiencing rapid economic growth. Black inventors were major contributors during this era – even though most did not obtain any of the benefits associated with their inventions since they could not receive patent protection.
Slave owners often took credit for their slaves’ inventions. In one well-documented case, a Black inventor named Ned invented an effective, innovative cotton scraper. His slave master, Oscar Stewart, attempted to patent the invention. Because Stewart was not the actual inventor, and because the actual inventor was born into slavery, the application was rejected.
Stewart ultimately began selling the cotton scraper without the benefit of patent protection and made a significant amount of money doing so. In his advertisements, he openly touted that the product was “the invention of a Negro slave – thus giving the lie to the abolition cry that slavery dwarfs the mind of the Negro. When did a free Negro ever invent anything?”
Reaping Benefits of Own Inventions
The answer to this question is that Black people – both free and enslaved – invented many things during that time period.
One such innovator was Henry Boyd, who was born into slavery in Kentucky in 1802. After purchasing his own freedom in 1826, Boyd invented a corded bed created with wooden rails connected to the headboard and footboard.
The “Boyd Bedstead” was so popular that historian Carter G. Woodson profiled his success in the iconic book “The Mis-education of the Negro,” noting that Boyd’s business ultimately employed 25 white and Black employees.
Though Boyd had recently purchased his freedom and should have been allowed a patent for his invention, the racist realities of the time apparently led him to believe that he wouldn’t be able to patent his invention. He ultimately decided to partner with a white craftsman, allowing his partner to apply for and receive a patent for the bed.
Some Black inventors achieved financial success but no patent protection, direct or indirect. Benjamin Montgomery, who was born into slavery in 1819, invented a steamboat propeller designed for shallow waters in the 1850s. This invention was of particular value because, during that time, steamboats delivered food and other necessities through often-shallow waterways connecting settlements. If the boats got stuck, life-sustaining supplies would be delayed for days or weeks.
Montgomery tried to apply for a patent. The application was rejected due to his status as a slave. Montgomery’s owners tried to take credit for the propeller invention and patent it themselves, but the patent office also rejected their application because they were not the true inventors.
Even without patent protection, Montgomery amassed significant wealth and become one of the wealthiest planters in Mississippi after the Civil War ended. Eventually his son, Isaiah, was able to purchase more than 800 acres of land and found the town of Mound Bayou, Mississippi after his father’s death.
A Legacy of Black Innovators
The patent system was ostensibly open to free Black people. From Thomas Jennings, the first Black patent holder, who invented dry cleaning in 1821, to Norbert Rillieux, a free man who invented a revolutionary sugar-refining process in the 1840s, to Elijah McCoy, who obtained 57 patents over his lifetime, those with access to the patent system invented items that still touch the lives of people today.
This legacy extends through the 21st century. Lonnie Johnson generated more than US$1 billion in sales with his Super Soaker water gun invention, which has consistently been among the world’s top 20 best-selling toys each year since 1991. Johnson now owns more than 80 patents and has since developed different green technologies.
Bishop Curry V, a 10-year-old Black inventor from Texas, has already applied for a patent for his invention, which he says will stop accidental deaths of children in hot cars.
Black women are also furthering the legacy of Black inventors. Lisa Ascolese, known as “The Inventress,” has received multiple patents and founded the Association for Women Inventors and Entrepreneurs. Janet Emerson Bashen became the first Black woman to receive a patent for a software invention in 2006. And Dr. Hadiyah Green recently won a $1 million grant related to an invention that may help treat cancer.
True to the legacy of American innovation, today’s Black inventors are following in the footsteps of those who came before them. Now patent law doesn’t actively exclude them from protecting their inventions – and fully contributing to American progress.
Shontavia Johnson is the Associate Vice President for Academic Partnerships and Innovation at Clemson University.
#America’s Always Had Black Inventors—Even When the Patent System Explicitly Excluded Them#systemic racism#us patent law#Black Inventors#Black History#white supremacy
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#black history#black inventors#black inventions#black excellence#blacklivesmatter#black lives matter#tik tok#tiktok
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#crpatterson#henry ford#makingcars#blackhistory#knowyourtruehistory#car manufacturing#black inventors
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