Sarah E. Goode -- USA

Sarah E. Goode was an entrepreneur and inventor, she was one of the first African American women to receive a United States patent.

Born in 1850, towards the end of slavery in the United States, little is known of Goode’s early life, but it is believed that in 1860, aged five, she was living as Sarah Jacobs, a free resident of Toledo Ohio. Around 1870, she had moved to Chicago Illinois and by 1880 was married to Archibald Goode, a carpenter. On 14 July 1885, Sarah Goode was granted patent number 322,177 from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a folding cabinet bed.

The bed was designed to make efficient use of small spaces and where floor space was limited. Known today as the “fold-away bed.” Goode’s invention had hinged sections that could be easily raised or lowered. This was ideal for small apartments where living space was shared, and when not functioning as a bed, the device could be used as a desk with small compartments for storage. Goode’s husband was a carpenter, and it’s likely he influenced her knowledge of furniture construction. 

It has been suggested that Sarah Goode became a successful owner of a furniture store in Chicago, and it is believed that she died in Chicago on April 8, 1905.