This African-American botanist and agricultural chemist developed hundreds of uses for peanuts, soybeans, and sweet potatoes. Who was he?

Born into slavery near the end of the Civil War, George Washington Carver rose to become one of the most prominent scientists of his time. He is best known for his agricultural research at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, where he aimed to improve the lives of poor Southern farmers. He found that years of growing cotton had depleted the soil of vital nutrients, leading to poor harvests. To solve this, he championed the cultivation of alternative crops that would restore the soil, primarily peanuts, soybeans, and sweet potatoes.

This led to a new problem: a surplus of these crops with no established market. In response, Carver dedicated himself to finding new uses for them. While he didn't invent peanut butter, he developed over 300 products from the peanut, including cooking oil, ink, plastics, and dyes. He likewise found more than 100 uses for the sweet potato, such as flour, molasses, and rubber. His innovative work created new industries, promoted sustainable farming, and provided economic opportunities for countless African-American farmers, cementing his legacy as a brilliant agricultural pioneer.