Tag Page Inventors

1897… Andrew J. Beard Receives a Patent for the “Jenny Coupler”

On November 23, 1897, Andrew Jackson Beard, a Black inventor from Alabama, received a U.S. patent for one of the most important railroad safety devices of the late 1800s: the automatic car coupler known as the “Jenny Coupler.” Before Beard’s invention, railroad workers had to stand between moving train cars to manually link them together. It was a dangerous job that resulted in countless crushed limbs and deaths. Beard knew those risks firsthand—he had worked around railroads and had seen the toll the old system took on brakemen. His design changed everything. The Jenny Coupler used a pair of locking jaws that snapped together automatically the moment two cars touched. It replaced a life-threatening task with a simple, safer, almost automatic motion. Beard’s patent became part of a nationwide shift toward better railroad safety. His work influenced federal requirements for automatic couplers and helped protect the workers who kept the rail industry running. Even though his name isn’t widely recognized today, Beard’s contribution had a lasting impact. His 1897 patent remains a clear example of how Black inventors helped shape American industrial technology—often without the credit they deserved. #OnThisDay #BlackHistory #AmericanHistory #Inventors #RailroadHistory #SafetyInnovation #UnsungHeroes #CommunityFeed