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Honoring Black History Month: Media Leaders

This month, InventHelp® focuses on the pioneering spirit of African-American inventors and leaders. And it couldn't come at a better time, given the historic achievements of Lovie Smith of the Chicago Bears and Tony Dungy of the Indianapolis Colts, the first African-American head coaches to reach the Super Bowl.

In Honor of Black History Month, InventHelp® presents the stories of two African-American entrepreneurs-Dr. Mark Dean, who is the co-inventor of the personal computer, and Robert Johnson, the inventor of Black Entertainment Television.

You may not know Dr. Mark Dean by name, but you're being affected by his work right now. In fact, the impact of Dr. Dean's invention is wide-felt. Dr. Dean is the co-inventor and modern-day architect of the Personal Computer.

Dr. Dean's list of achievements is incredibly impressive: he graduated from Stanford University, is a member of the National Hall of Inventors, and is a Vice-President with IBM. He holds three of the original nine patents on the computer from which all PCs are based, and has more than 30 patents pending. Yet, shockingly, you may not have heard of him until now!

It's unlikely that even Dr. Dean knew just how much the personal computer would affect our everyday lives. Early computers were simply too large and too burdensome for the Average Joe to use in practical applications. The interior architecture that Dr. Dean helped to design allowed modems, printers and other accessories to be connected to our PCs, and thus began today's Digital Revolution.

Dr. Mark Dean, co-inventor of the personal computer.

A vast world of information is just a click away, and we can chat with individuals who are thousands of miles away at any given time. Millions of jobs have been created thanks to information technology. And Dr. Dean, who celebrates his 50th birthday next month, surely has plenty of inventing left in him. We at InventHelp® look forward to his next great breakthrough!

If you've spent time flipping through the channels on television, you've likely come across the handiwork of Robert L. Johnson, the man who would become the first African-American billionaire. Johnson invented Black Entertainment Television, the first network aimed primarily at African-Americans.

Johnson spent his youth in Freeport, Ill, the ninth child of 10 children born to Archie and Edna Johnson. After earning his Bachelor's degree in history, he was accepted into the prestigious Princeton University, where he earned his master's degree in International Affairs.

Robert L. Johnson, invented BET or Black Entertainment Television.

Johnson created BET in 1980, which initially broadcasted for only two hours a week. Eleven years later, BET became the first publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange to be controlled by an African-American board. This changed in 1998, when Johnson bought all of the publicly traded stock, returning the company to private status.

A year later, Viacom bought BET for $3 billion. Johnson remained chairman for six more years before handing the reins to his successor, Debra L. Lee. Currently, BET reaches audiences in 65 million homes, and has spurred a number of spin-off networks. Today, Johnson serves on the boards of US Airways, Hilton Hotels and General Mills, making him one of the most successful African-American pioneers of our generation.

In honor of Black History Month, InventHelp® honors Dr. Mark Dean, Robert Johnson and other African-American inventors, business leaders and innovators whose creative energies have inspired new generations of entrepreneurs.

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