Garrett Morgan
March 4, 1877 – July 27, 1963
When the first US postage stamp for 20 cents was introduced into circulation, Garrett Morgan was expanding his career as a sewing-machine mechanic to patenting several inventions that would change the face of mankind. Crafting an improved sewing machine, after witnessing at a horrific traffic accident at an intersection. Garrett constructed the first three-position traffic signal to aid a society that was still learning to drive automobiles. While in the process of using a liquid that was used for shining sewing needles, Garrett discovered that the liquid could also be used to straighten hair, once formulated into a cream it was marketed as a hair-straightening product. Garrett developed the safety hood smoke protection device after seeing firefighters struggling from the smoke they encountered in the line of duty. Garrett’s respiratory device would later be used to rescue and save several men’s lives after a 1916 tunnel explosion under Lake Erie. This device provided the blueprint for WWI gas masks. The world of innovation was at the beckon call of Garrett Morgan3.
