Whose knowledge of smallpox inoculation saved countless lives?
In the spring of 1721, a smallpox epidemic erupted in Boston, killing nearly 1,000 people. Born in Africa, Onesimus, a house slave owned by one of the leading ministers of colonial New England, told about “buying the smallpox,” the inoculation he remembered from Africa in which people infected themselves with the smallpox disease to create immunity. Mather had read of inoculation in British scientific journals and knew the public opposed it as natural and dangerous. Relying on Onesimus’ knowledge, Mather persuaded Dr. Zabdiel Boylston to experiment with inoculation, which he did on his own son. The experiment was a success, and Dr. Boylston began inoculating a convinced public. Onesimus’ knowledge of smallpox inoculation saved countless lives. Who put refrigerated trucks on the road? Frederick McKinley Jones was a self-taught mechanic who later mastered electronics. Owner of over 60 patents, 40 for refrigeration equipment alone, he served as a consultant on refrigeration problems to bo
