Strange Alabama- George Washington Carver

Alabama has been homebase to some pretty amazing people including Truman Capote, Rosa Parks, and Helen Keller. Possibly one of the most resourceful Alabamians, though, would have to be George Washington Carver, an inventor who resided in Tuskegee until his death in 1943.

Carver is perhaps most famous for the 325 products he derived from peanuts and the 108 benefits he yielded from sweet potatoes. You may recognize some of his products lying around the house such as bleach, shoe polish, and shaving cream. We can also thank Mr. Carver for some of the dyes and stains created from soybeans that make certain clothing so vibrant.

Carver was a holy man and claimed that because his gifts were given by God himself, he saw no reason to patent or profit from his inventions. If you want to visit Carver's old stomping grounds at the Tuskegee Institute, a museum dedicated in his name is open for the public. There is no charge to attend.