A checked claim
A Black man invented the light bulb, not a white guy named Edison.
Joe Biden · A campaign event, checked by PolitiFact Wisconsin · 2020 · President of the United States
The checks
Each in the checker's own words. This site does not restate another organization's finding in its own voice.
Mostly False
Our check against the record
Not yet researched
Context
He made the statement while talking about overlooked Black history.
Topics: History.
Other claims by Joe Biden
Sources
- Making point on overlooked Black history, Biden misses mark on the inventor of the light bulb · PolitiFact · 2020-09-04 · accessed 2026-09-18
Cite and data
Cite this page as:
Cracked Buckeye (Open Shower Co), "Joe Biden: "A Black man invented the light bulb, not a white guy named Edison."", https://crackedbuckeye.com/claims/2020-09-04-joe-biden-black-man-invented-light-bulb/, built 2026-09-19, accessed [date].
Machine-readable: /api/politics/claims/2020-09-04-joe-biden-black-man-invented-light-bulb.json (open JSON, CC BY 4.0 for the compilation; the underlying records keep their own terms) · How to cite · Report a correction · Built 2026-09-19