Garrett Morgan invented the gas inhalator/gas mask and got a patent in 1914. It wasn't until a tunnel explosion under Lake Erie on July 24, 1916, that his invention got more notice from the world. Garrett and his brother rescued the trapped workers from the gas-filled tunnels. Fire departments wanted this mask for their fire fighters, and the government wanted this for their soldiers. Improvements were made to the mask design, but the idea of using a breathing device in places where the air could be poisonous is still used today. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/theymadeamerica/whomade/morgan_hi.html
|
traffic signal
Garrett Morgan was the first black man in Cleveland, Ohio to own a car. When driving, he saw a car and a horse drawn cart get into an accident. He designed a traffic signal to tell drivers when to stop and when to go. He got a patent for it in 1923. He later sold the patent to General Electric for $40,000. http://inventors.about.com/od/mstartinventors/a/Garrett_Morgan.htm
|
gas inhalator