When people think about the series of inventions that have changed the world, many great minds come to mind. But one of a kind African American inventor Garrett Morgan should absolutely be on any list of innovators – and not just because he was the seventh child of Sydney and Elizabeth Morgan. Despite having little to no access to formal education, Garrett had a way of finding solutions where none seemed obvious before.
His series of innovations included improving the sewing machine, inventing a hair-straightening product, creating a breathing device, and arguably his most famous invention – a three-position traffic signal – famously used in 1916 to rescue workers trapped in an accumulating toxic mixture during a tunnel construction disaster. Far from being forgotten after his death in 1963, Garrett Morgan’s legacy lives on: inspiring countless others with his tenacity for problem solving and life-saving inventions.
There’s no question that he was a prolific inventor but what many people don’t know is that Garrett’s invention was actually born out of necessity. His pioneering spirit and refusal to accept limits propelled him ahead of his time. However, one of his most significant invention came in 1912: the gas mask. His patent application described it as a “Breathing Device” and it quickly drew awards from the International Exposition of Safety Sanitation in New York City. The device consisted of an hood with an inlet for fresh air and outlet for exhaled air, demonstrating just how forward-thinking Morgan was. And all from sweeping floors at the Roots and McBride Company factory – talk about ingenuity and fearlessness!
Garrett Morgan placed an indelible mark on history through his inventions. His gas mask served as an essential safety tool in many situations, including in the case of fire accident which serves to protect firemen from smoke inhalation and noxious fumes. In the summer of 1916, he put the safety hood to its most critical test when a tunnel explosion at Cleveland Waterworks filled the whole area with toxic air and smoke – trapping workers in danger below lake Erie. Aided by Morgan’s breathing device and putting on his own safety hood, he descended into the tunnel and saved people from a certain death by carrying them out on his back himself.
Garrett Morgan was a Black inventor in America’s era of segregation, but that didn’t discourage him and he set out to sell his invention – the hood he created to protect firefighters from toxic smoke – with only ingenuity and grit. Knowing it would be difficult, he had sought out advise from J.P. Morgan himself which he had applied by hiring actors to sell the product at conventions. He had even transformed into an Indian chief during a clever demonstration! He eventually succeeded in selling his product, winning a contract with the U.S. Navy and later the U.S army making the hood an official piece of equipment for World War I soldiers less than two years after the Lake Erie Crib Disaster of 1917.
You see, Garrett lived in Cleveland, Ohio – one of the busiest cities in the country. And as anyone who’s ever been to Cleveland is familiar with, it’s not the easiest place to drive in. The roads are always crowded, and with lots of traffic. One day, he witnessed a traumatic incident while he was out with his sons–a terrible collision between a car and a horse-drawn carriage in which a little girl was thrown from the carriage. This led him to his invention of the three-position traffic signal. The First attempted traffic signal was by J P Knight in 1868, but unfortunately, it exploded, killing a policeman. Garrett who had been a serial inventor, in order to improve public safety invented the three-position traffic signal which, the U.S. Patent Office granted him Patent in 1923.
Concerned that selling his invention could prove challenging similar to the gas mask, Morgan hastily sold the rights to his three-way traffic light patent to General Electric in exchange for $40,000 in order to get the devices on the road as soon as possible. And sure enough, three-armed signals can now be seen around the country and the world, keeping everyone safe from potential collisions.
What’s more, several of Morgan’s inventions are on display at museums all across America–the original wooden prototype is at Washington D.C.’s Smithsonian’s American History Museum and a metal model can be found at Cleveland’s Western Reserve Historical Society, just in time for the opening of Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. Morgan may have gone through tragedy once, but that didn’t stop him from making sure no one else did— his three way traffic signal continues to control accidents to date!
He deserves deep admiration for using science and engineering skills to impact the world in such a positive way. In this modern age with all its wonders which were made through the minds of intelligent individuals from all walks of life; inventors like Garrett Morgan work continue to serve as lifelines. His accomplishments prove that passion for exploration is sometimes enough for even greater victories.
As a result of brilliant thinkers like him the world reap innumerable benefits from series of inventions on regular basis demonstrating what is truly possible when ambition knows no boundaries. Whether or not Garret knew it at the time, his series inventions along with other inventors have had tremendous impact on the world that has lasted through present day – so it’s only fitting that inspiration is taken from their timeless successes too!
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