Willingboro Township Public Schools

Garrett Morgan was born in 1877 in Paris, Kentucky. In 1914, Garrett Morgan patented a breathing device “safety hood” that protected wearers in the presence of smoke, gas, and other pollutants. His invention was used by soldiers in World War I to protect against toxic gas during warfare. Garrett Morgan was the first African-American man in Cleveland to own a car. In 1923, he created a new kind of traffic signal. Garrett Morgan’s traffic signal introduced the three-way traffic light, a warning light to alert drivers that they would need to stop. Other inventions he created were the zig-zap stitching mechanism, hair dyeing ointments, and carved-tooth pressing comb.