There was some resistance to Morgan's devices among buyers, particularly in the South, where racial tension remained palpable despite advancements in African American rights. In an effort to counteract the resistance to his products, Morgan hired a white actor to pose as "the inventor" during presentations of his breathing device; Morgan would pose as the inventor's sidekick, disguised as a Native American man named "Big Chief Mason," and, wearing his hood, enter areas otherwise unsafe for breathing.
The tactic was successful; sales of the device were brisk, especially from firefighters and rescue workers. In , the city of Cleveland was drilling a new tunnel under Lake Erie for a fresh water supply. Workers hit a pocket of natural gas, which resulted in a huge explosion and trapped workers underground amidst suffocating noxious fumes and dust.
When Morgan heard about the explosion, he and his brother put on breathing devices, made their way to the tunnel and entered as quickly as possible. The brothers managed to save two lives and recover four bodies before the rescue effort was shut down. Despite his heroic efforts, the publicity that Morgan garnered from the incident hurt sales; the public was now fully aware that Morgan was an African American, and many refused to purchase his products.
Adding to the detriment, neither the inventor nor his brother were fully recognized for their heroic efforts at Lake Erie — possibly another effect of racial discrimination. Morgan was nominated for a Carnegie Medal for his efforts, but ultimately wasn't chosen to receive the award.
Additionally, some reports of the explosion named others as the rescuers. While the public's lack of acknowledgment for Morgan's and his brother's roles at the Cleveland explosion was undoubtedly disheartening, Morgan was a voracious inventor and observer who focused on fixing problems and soon turned his attention to all kinds of things, from hats to belt fasteners to car parts.
The first Black man in Cleveland to own a car, Morgan worked on his mechanical skills and developed a friction drive clutch. Then, in , he created a new kind of traffic signal, one with a warning light to alert drivers that they would need to stop, after witnessing a carriage accident at a particularly problematic intersection in the city.
Outside of his inventing career, Morgan diligently supported the African American community throughout his lifetime. He was a member of the newly formed National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, was active in the Cleveland Association of Colored Men, donated to Negro colleges and opened an all-Black country club.
Morgan began developing glaucoma in and lost most of his sight as a result. The accomplished inventor died in Cleveland, Ohio, on July 27, , shortly before the celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation centennial, an event he had been awaiting. Just before his death, Morgan was honored by the U.
From the traffic light to the ironing board, see a list of products that have sprung from the minds of Black inventors. In the late 19th century, it was improved upon by Sarah Boone , an African American woman who was born enslaved. One of the first Black women in U.
Before security systems became a fixture in homes, an African American nurse Mary Van Brittan Brown, devised an early security unit for her own home. She spent many nights at home alone in Queens, New York while her husband was away, and felt unsafe with high rates of crime in her neighborhood.
On top of that, police were unreliable and unresponsive. So she created a device that would help put her mind at ease. In , Brown invented a system that used a camera that could slide into and look through four peepholes in her front door.
She added other features to the system, including a microphone to speak to anyone at the door, a button to unlock the door, and a button to contact the police. She and her husband took out a patent for the system in the same year, and they were awarded the patent three years later in Home security systems commonly used today took various elements from her design.
Watch a preview now. With only an elementary school education, Black inventor and son of an enslaved parent , Garrett Morgan came up with several significant inventions, including an improved sewing machine and the gas mask. However, one of Morgan's most influential inventions was the improved traffic light.
Morgan's was one of the first three-light systems that were invented in the s, resulting in widespread adoption of the traffic lights we take for granted today.
Thanks to the successes of his other inventions, Morgan bought and car and, as a motorist, he witnessed a severe car accident at an intersection in his city of Cleveland, Ohio. He took out the patent for the creation in , and it was granted to him the following year. If your refrigerator has any produce from your local grocery store, then you can credit African American inventor Frederick McKinley Jones.
Before Morgan, traffic signals only had two positions: stop and go. He purchased acres later that year in Wakeman, Ohio, and transformed it into an African American country club complete with a party room and dance hall.
Leo DeLuca is an award-winning writer from Dayton, Ohio. He lives in New York City. Follow Leo DeLuca on Twitter. Already a subscriber? Sign in. Thanks for reading Scientific American. Create your free account or Sign in to continue. See Subscription Options. Go Paperless with Digital. Get smart. Sign up for our email newsletter. Sign Up. Support science journalism.
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