Here at the Department of Transportation, Mr. Morgan is considered the father of Transportation Safety Technology. His automatic traffic signal stands as a significant contribution in the evolution of traffic management. His lifetime of achievement is a model of dedication to public service, public safety, and technology innovation.
Traffic Lights -- we see them at almost every intersection. One of the first things you learned walking to school every morning was to pay attention to traffic signals. Watch the walk and don't walk signs. Only cross the street when traffic stops at the red light and the walk sign is blinking.
Imagine an intersection without traffic signals. Cars, trucks, school buses, bicyclists and students walking to school -- all in a hurry -- would try to squeeze through the intersection, all at once. You would never get to school on time. And your safety would be at risk.
Well, thanks to an African American inventor by the name of Garrett Augustus Morgan, we have traffic signals that help make intersections and your walk or ride to school much safer.
Mr. Morgan was an American inventor in the early 1900's. His generation was part of a revolutionary change in transportation -- the introduction of the automobile into a horse and buggy world.
One day Mr. Morgan witnessed a traffic crash between an automobile and a horse-drawn carriage. He was so distressed by this collision that he went home and immediately began work on his next invention -- the automatic traffic signal, or "traffic light." His invention saved lives then, and is still saving lives today.
He patented his invention on November 20, 1923, and later sold the technology for the Morgan traffic signal to General Electric Corporation for $40,000. More than 70 years ago, it was a traffic crash that motivated Mr. Morgan to develop a new way to make streets safer for motorists and pedestrians. He saw a challenge and he looked for a solution.
Mr. Morgan was born in Kentucky in 1877, the son of former slaves. He only received a sixth-grade education, but that didn't stop his quest for knowledge. As a teen he left his family's farm in search of better opportunities. While living in Cincinnati, Ohio, he hired a tutor and continued his studies in English grammar. He moved on to Cleveland where he worked as a sewing machine repairman for a clothing manufacturer and eventually founded his own garment company, the first of several very successful businesses.
Experimenting with gadgets and materials to discover better ways to do things became Mr. Morgan's passion. Another notable invention was the "safety hood," the forerunner to the gas mask. During World War I, U.S. soldiers used his invention to protect themselves from deadly chlorine gas.
