George Washington Carver's Groundbreaking 118+ Innovations
From his laboratory at Tuskegee Institute, George Washington Carver transformed the humble sweet potato into over 118 revolutionary products. During World War I, when wheat was scarce, his sweet potato flour became a crucial food security innovation. Each product represented not just scientific brilliance, but a step toward agricultural independence for Southern farmers.
Starting in 1906, George Washington Carver recognized that sweet potatoes were "one of the few crops that could be depended upon throughout the year." His innovations proved vital during World War I when the U.S. Department of Agriculture called on him to help develop sweet potato flour as a wheat substitute. Though the war's end reduced immediate demand, his work laid the foundation for modern food security and agricultural sustainability.