This 1902 portrait provided by The Library of Congress shows Carver (front row, centre) seated with other staff members on the steps of Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama. Photos: Frances Benjamin Johnston/Library of Congress/AP
The achievements of George Washington Carver, the 19th century scientist credited with hundreds of inventions, including 300 uses for peanuts, have landed him in American history textbooks.
But many other agricultural practices, innovations and foods that travelled with enslaved people from West Africa – or were developed by their descendants – remain unsung, despite having revolutionised the way we eat, farm and garden.
