Making History Black History Month is an opportunity for people of all cultures and ethnicities to learn more about and to celebrate the contributions that the children of Africa have made to human civilization. It’s a chance to become enlightened about people like Mark Dean, an IBM Fellow who holds patents for inventing the first personal computer in 1981. Or Garrett Morgan, who in 1914 received patents for the Safety Hood and Smoke Protector, which later became known as the gas mask. Many people comprehend the importance of this particular invention, including lawmakers who were trapped inside the United States Capitol building on January 6.