Date: July 23, 2025
Legacy Makers: Stories of Black Inventors and Icons
Title and Show Info
Episode #32. A Scoop of Genius: The Life of Alfred Cralle
Featuring: Toni Davis (Host & Storyteller).
Summary
🍦"A Scoop of Genius: The Life of Alfred Cralle" 🛠️✨
In this thrilling bite-sized episode, we dive into the chillingly cool story of Alfred L. Cralle. The brilliant mind who revolutionized your favorite frozen treat with a single invention: the ice cream scoop. But this isn't just about dessert. 🍨 It's about determination, grit, and an African-American inventor who carved his name into history with a handle and a hinge.
Born just after the Civil War, Alfred faced the bitter cold of discrimination while trying to make his mark. Yet, in 1897, he patented a device so simple, so ingenious, that it's still in use today — and he did it while working as a hotel and drugstore porter. Talk about scooping success against the odds. 💼🔧
Why didn't Alfred Cralle become a household name? Why is his legacy often left out of the conversation when we talk about American innovation? 🧐 Well, we'll crack the story wide open. No fluff. No filler. Just the real scoop.
Whether you're a history buff, tech geek, or someone who takes their ice cream seriously, this episode serves a sundae with a swirl of justice. 🍧✊
So grab your headphones and a spoon, it's time to honor the legend behind every perfect scoop.
🎙️ Hit play and get the scoop on Alfred Cralle.
#AlfredCralle #IceCreamScoop #CralleTheInventor #ScoopOfGenius #ScoopHistory #IceCreamInnovation🍦
Highlights:
00:57- INTRO.
01:07- ALFRED CRALLE'S BIRTH AS A FREE PERSON OF COLOR.
01:18- HIS FATHER ALPHEUS LEWIS CRALLE.
01:22- HIS MOTHER MARTHA ANN STREET CRALLE.
03:30- HIS SIBLINGS.
05:07- WAYLAND THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY SCHOOL IN D.C.
06:03- MOVES TO PITTSBURGH.
06:16- EMPLOYED AS A PORTER.
06:46- BOOMING POPULARITY OF ICE CREAM.
07:17- THE EPIPHANY.
07:32- THE SKETCHES.
08:27- THE INVENTION OF THE "ICE CREAM MOLD AND DISHER".
08:33- THE PATENT APPLICATION.
08:47- RECEIVES THE US PATENT# 576,395 .
09:20- RECEIVES AN ARTICLE IN PITTSBURGH PRESS.
09:45- INTEREST IN BUYING HIS PATENT.
10:11- THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN IN PITTSBURGH TO RECEIVE A US PATENT.
10:26- JOINS THE RANKS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN INVENTORS.
10:43- BECOMES A BUSINESSMAN.
10:50- GENERAL MANAGER OF AFRO-AMERICAN FINANCIAL ORGANIZATION.
11:32- PURCHASES A HOME AT 168 MAYFLOWER ST IN PITTSBURGH, PA.
11:44- MARRIES ELIZABETH WADE.
11:58- HAS THREE CHILDREN TOGETHER.
12:42- DEATH OF ELDEST CHILD, MARION.
12:56- ALFRED PASSES AWAY.
13:09- BURIED AT MOUNT CARMEL CEMETERY IN HIS HOMETOWN, KENBRIDGE, VA
13:26- DEATH OF HIS WIFE, ELIZABETH.
13:34- DEATH OF MIDDLE CHILD, ALFRED JR.
13:48- ANNA, YOUNGEST CHILD ONLY SURVIVING HEIR.
14:04- CONCLUSION.
Subscribe to the podcast.
Links To Additional Resources:
Alfred L. Cralle (1866–1920) | BlackPast.org
Black inventor Alfred Cralle patents the first ice cream scoop | February 2, 1897 | HISTORY
Meet the Black Inventor Who Developed the Ice Cream Scoop, Revolutionizing a Beloved Frozen Treat
Alfred Cralle, Inventor born - African American Registry
Alfred L Cralle (1866-1919) - Find a Grave Memorial
Alfred L. Cralle: The Black Businessman Who Invented a Better Way to Scoop Ice Cream
HL117_Instant-Ice-Cream_Alfred-L-Cralle_012821
Tell All Thursday: Alfred L. Cralle, the Black Inventor of the Ice Cre – Four All Ice Cream
ALFRED L. CRALLE (1866–1920) – MRS. T'S CORNER
Alfred L. Cralle Facts for Kids
Cut to Black: Did You Know? Alfred L. Cralle –
Alfred L. Cralle – The Black Herald
Alfred L. Cralle invented the ice cream scoop | Jax Examiner
US576395A - Ice-cream mold and disher - Google Patents
Patent of the Day: Ice Cream Mold and Disher | Suiter Swantz IP
On this day in black history: The ice cream scooper is invented
On this day in 1897... – Booze Scoops
Elizabeth L. (Wade) Cralle (1877-1920) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree
