African American inventor, Joseph Lee (1849 - 1905) invented new and useful improvements to the dough-kneading machine (U.S. patent #524,042 8/7/1894). His machine was intended for use in large houses or hotels. Lee also patented a machine for making bread crumbs (U.S. patent #540,553 6/4/1895). Joseph Lee grew up in the food service industry. He worked as a baker, … [Read more...] about Friday Open Thread: Black Firsts, Scientists and Inventors