THE MAN WHO MADE OUR ROADS SAFER
GARRETT MORGAN
Garrett Morgan was one of those rare inventors whose work became so embedded in daily life that people forgot someone had to invent it. He patented an improved traffic signal in 1923, adding a third position (essentially the precursor to the yellow light) that created a pause between stop and go. Before this, intersections were chaos. His signal gave the world the rhythm of modern traffic, something billions of people rely on every day without a second thought.
In 1912, Morgan had also invented a breathing device that filtered smoke and toxic gases, the direct ancestor of the gas mask. Its real-world proof came in 1916, when an explosion trapped workers in a tunnel beneath Lake Erie. Morgan himself donned the hood and led rescue efforts, saving multiple lives. The U.S. Army later adapted the design for soldiers in World War I.
What made Morgan remarkable was not just his inventions, it was that he operated in an era of profound racial hostility. When Southern cities discovered a Black man had invented the safety hood, some refused to purchase it. Morgan sometimes sent a white associate to demonstrate it and posed as his own assistant. However, he built his impact despite the system, not because of it.
His story fits a recognised pattern of the world largely not remembering or crediting the person who changes how the world moves, breathes, and survives despite the hostilities of his own time. However, in retrospect his inventions are largely undeniable, indispensable, and have given us a better way to live.
365 men who changed the world.
Kamikun John, Author 366 days of wisdom.
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