On 11 October 1887, a highly skilled barber, inventor, and businessman named Alexander Miles received a patent for a technology that would revolutionize the way we use high-rise buildings forever. His invention? Automatic elevator doors.

Though a seemingly small milestone in the history of technology, his innovative design made the use of elevators infinitely easier and safer, earning him a spot in the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

While best known for this nifty invention, Miles himself was also a marvel. A leading figure in the African-American community of Duluth, Missouri, Miles was a keen businessman who was once reputed to be the richest black man in the Midwest.