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George Washington Carver Facts

George Washington Carver Facts
George Washington Carver was an African-American inventor, chemist, botanist and scientist known best for the many products he invented from peanuts. George Washington Carver was born into slavery in 1864 in Diamond Grove, Missouri. He was one of 12 children born to Giles and Mary. His master Moses Carver raised George and his brother James after slavery was abolished, encouraging him to pursue an education. At 13 George moved to Fort Scott, Kansas, to attend school. He left after witnessing the murder of another African-American, eventually earning his high school diploma in Minneapolis, Kansas. He earned his B.S. at Iowa State Agricultural College and continued until he received his master's degree.
Interesting George Washington Carver Facts:
Moses Carver purchased George's parents for approximately $700. Moses was said to have treated George's family well.
When George was one week old he was kidnapped along with his mother and one sister by Arkansas raiders. Only George was recovered by Moses Carver.
Moses Carver and his wife treated George and his brother James like their own children and taught them to read and write.
George had to move away from the Carvers because the schools in his area were not open to African-American children.
George applied to Highland College but was rejected because of his race.
George Washington Carver studied piano and art at Simpson College in Iowa in 1890.
George attended Iowa State Agricultural College. He earned his B.S. and his master's degree at the school. He was the first African-American student to attend the school.
George Washington Carver earned fame for his work at the Iowa Experimentation Station for his work in plant pathology and mycology.
In 1896 George Washington Carver was offered the position of Director of the Agriculture Department at Tuskegee University in Alabama.
George Washington Carver taught farmers and students how to use crop rotation to ensure soil did not lose its nutrients. His work helped farmers in the South to be more successful.
George discovered that boll weevils, an insect that was destroying cotton crops, did not like peanuts. He encouraged farmers to plant peanuts to make a good living.
George Washington Carver found hundreds of ways to use peanuts. Some of the peanut products he invented included clothing dyes, fuel for cars, plastic products, cooking oil, and peanut butter.
George Washington Carver found many hundreds of uses for sweet potatoes and soybeans.
President Theodore Roosevelt and the United States Congress consulted George Washington Carver on agricultural matters because he was known as an expert around the world.
The Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi sought help from George Washington Carver to help with crops in India.
George Washington Carver became known as the ‘farmer's best friend' in the South.
Many of George's inventions were not patented by him because he believed his ideas should be free. Many of his products were patented by industrialists and they made fortunes from his inventions.
George Washington Carver was the first African-American to have a national park named for him; it is located in Missouri.
George's artwork was shown at the 1893 World's Fair.
George Washington Carver published a report titled How to Grow the Peanut and 105 Ways of Preparing it for Human Consumption in 1916.
George Washington Carver died on January 5th, 1943 in Tuskegee, Alabama at the age of 79.


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