Each time you scoop an ice cream ball using a plain, one-hand scoop, you are unknowingly holding onto a bit of Black American heritage. According to a detailed profile by BlackPast, the man responsible for this ubiquitous device was Alfred L. Cralle, a porter in Pittsburgh who obtained a patent for his creation in 1897. He never got rich from it, and his story highlights how invention and recognition do not always go together.
A problem hiding in plain sight
