Who invented the fire extinguisher?

A Short History of the Development of the Portable Fire Extinguisher more

To find your answer, we searched using every conceivable combination of keywords, quotation marks, and boolean symbols (+,-). Needless to say, it wasn't easy, but we ended up with some interesting information: According to the Minorities' Job Bank's This Month in African American History, inventor Thomas J. Martin, patented the fire extinguisher on March 26, 1872. Dr. Percy Julian, another prominent African-American, invented the aero-foam extinguisher (for use against gas and oil fires) during World War II. The modern fire extinguisher uses compressed carbon dioxide to smother flames by evacuating the oxygen within the immediate area of the fire. It basically suffocates the fire. We also came across some interesting <a href="http://www.ultranet.com/~kokernak/ext.html">older extinguishers</a>, including a hand pump model. For a fascinating history of firefighting technology, read "<a href="http://www.infoplease.com/ce5/CE018436.html">Fire Fighting</a>" from the Information Please ... more