Jessie Pope

Jessie T. Pope, a Black, female inventor, invented the thermostatically controlled curling iron for hair. Due to a lack of historical records for women, especially Black women at the time, little was documented about her life.  
 

During her time as a beautician in Detroit, Pope needed a way to control and maintain the temperature of electric curling irons. Instead of waiting for someone else to solve the problem, she invented her own device. Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, was so taken by Pope’s invention that she offered her assistance to file for a patent. Pope’s patent was granted on October 22, 1946, for the croquignole iron. She even founded a company to manufacture it in 1958. Pope’s curling iron was mass produced and changed the hair industry for the better.