George Washington Carver (Part 1)

As far as I am concerned, George Washington Carver is one of the finest scientists the world has ever known. The contributions he has made to mankind are hard to match. The following information about him was obtained from "Garden of Praise," a registry for educational materials. His inventions/discoveries have improved the quality of life for millions and millions of people. His quotes are inspirational and show a great deal of love for humanity of all ages. He was born in 1860 and died in 1943.

George Washington Carver was born in Missouri on the Moses Carver plantation. His parents were slaves. His father died right before George was born, then while he was still a baby, slave traders kidnapped him and his mother. Only George was returned to the plantation. When he was a baby, he had a disease called whooping cough. It left him sickly and he couldn't do hard work like the other slaves. His chores were cooking and sewing. He loved to work in the garden. He taught himself to read. His family was so poor, he could not afford to buy a pencil, so he made a holder and used a pencil that was only 1/4 inch long.

He wrote to a college to enroll and they accepted him, but when they found out he was black, they told him he could not attend. After five more years when he was 30 years old, he was accepted at a college in Iowa. He did so well, his teacher helped him to get a transfer to Iowa State College where he studied botany. He learned about plants and farming.