Black History is Day 7
- English Simone
- Feb 7, 2023
- 1 min read
On this day, we pay homage to Gerald "Jerry" Lawson! In 1976, this Queens, New York native led a team of engineers who invented the first removable game cartridge-- The Channel F.
According to Tom Hiddleston, Jr. of CNBC's "Make It", "The Channel F included the gaming world's first digital, at-home joystick, and even featured the first-ever 'pause' button for a gaming console. But, mostly it stood out because players could swap out different video game cartridges." Although he was not college educated, Lawson stood toe-to-toe and maneuvered in the same network with more well-known tech giants (Apple co-founders, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, for example).
During his 2005 keynote address at the Classic Gaming Expo in Burlingame, California, Lawson stated, "To break new horizons, you had to break some rules." And we hold this to be a fact! And with this shared mindset, we hope that all people-- old, young, common, indifferent, etc. strive for those dreams that they once felt unattainable.
He was mechanically inclined and held down multiple jobs to earn a learning. Quite the go-getter! Unfortunately, he passed away at the age of 36 years old by a cold that developed into tuberculosis.
The young inventor was honored with his own U.S. postage stamp in 1991.
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