John Albert Burr was an African American inventor and mechanical engineer born in Maryland in 1848. Despite being born to formerly enslaved parents, he rose above the odds to become a skilled innovator. Burr is best known for improving the rotary lawn mower. Before his invention, lawn mowers often clogged with grass and were difficult to use on uneven ground. In 1899, he received a U.S. patent for a mower design that used traction wheels and a special blade system to prevent clogging and make mowing smoother and more efficient. His invention helped homeowners and groundskeepers maintain lawns more easily. Burr held over 30 patents in his lifetime, most related to tools and machinery. His lawn mower design remains the foundation of many modern mowers today. John Burr’s work is a powerful example of how African American inventors have shaped everyday tools we often take for granted.
