Garrett Morgan
Garrett A. Morgan‘s (1877-1963) inventions saved countless lives in the early 20th century.
In a time fraught with industrial tragedies like the Triangle Shirtwaist Co. fire, Morgan focused his ingenuity on public safety. One of his most well known inventions was the “safety hood smoke protection device,” a hood fitted with a breathing device, thus enabling firefighters to enter smoke-filled spaces. He famously tested his product in 1916, during the Cleveland Waterworks Explosion, where he and a rescue party donned the hoods to recover eight people from a tunnel.
In the 1920s, after witnessing a traffic accident at an intersection, he created an improved traffic light. In addition to the stop-and-go positions, his design included the yellow caution light. Morgan’s three-way traffic signal was sold to General Electric, and was a precursor of modern-day traffic lights.
Despite facing many challenges as a Black inventor working before the Civil Rights era, Morgan proved himself to be a successful entrepreneur and marketer.
Morgan was born in Kentucky and grew up on his family’s farm before eventually settling in Cleveland, Ohio. For his contributions to public safety, he is often called the “Black Edison,” and was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2005.
