Joe Biden: "A Black man invented the light bulb, not a white guy named Edison."

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 · Race: President of the United States

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The checks

Each in the checker's own words. This site does not restate another organization's finding in its own voice.

Mostly False

PolitiFact, September 4, 2020 · read the check

Our check against the record

Does not match the record

Checked against U.S. Letters Patent No. 223,898, "Electric Lamp", to Thomas A. Edison of Menlo Park, New Jersey, dated January 27, 1880, and No. 252,386, "Process of Manufacturing Carbons", to Lewis H. Latimer of New York, assignor to the United States Electric Lighting Company, dated January 17, 1882; the record names Edison as patentee of the lamp, and Latimer’s later patent is a process for its carbon filaments, not a lamp.

The records: U.S. Patent No. 223,898, Electric Lamp (T. A. Edison, Jan. 27, 1880) · U.S. Patent No. 252,386, Process of Manufacturing Carbons (L. H. Latimer, Jan. 17, 1882)

Context

He made the statement while talking about overlooked Black history.

Topics: History.

Other claims by Joe Biden

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The final 2020 presidential debate · October 22, 2020 · PolitiFact: Mostly False
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His Democratic National Convention acceptance speech · August 2020 · PolitiFact
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A campaign statement · 2020 · PolitiFact: Pants on Fire

Every claim filed under 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
U.S. Patent No. 223,898, Electric Lamp (T. A. Edison, Jan. 27, 1880) · U.S. Patent and Trademark Office · 1880-01-27 · accessed 2026-10-16
U.S. Patent No. 252,386, Process of Manufacturing Carbons (L. H. Latimer, Jan. 17, 1882) · U.S. Patent and Trademark Office · 1882-01-17 · accessed 2026-10-16

Cite and data

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Cracked Buckeye, "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 2026-11-03, accessed [date].

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