At about the same time, Garrett Morgan of Cleveland, Ohio realized the need to control the flow of traffic. A gifted inventor and reportedly the first African American to own an automobile in Cleveland, Ohio, he invented the electric automatic traffic light. Though it looked more like the semaphore signals you see at train crossings today.

Many others had obtained US Patents for Traffic Signals, some as early as 1918. But Morgan's Patent was purchased by General Electric Corporation and provided the protection they needed to begin building a monopoly on traffic light manufacture.

TO LEARN MORE

RELATED INFORMATION:
Garrett Morgan Biography   from The Great Idea Finder
Transportation History   from The Great Idea Finder

ON THE BOOKSHELF:
Eureka!: An Illustrated History of Inventions From the Wheel to the Computer (Limited Avail.)
by Edward De Bono / Hardcover - 248 pages (1974) / Thames & Hudson
A marvelous array of history's and prehistory's most important and intriguing inventions.
The Kid Who Invented the Popsicle: And Other Surprising Stories About Inventions
by Don L. Wulffson / Paperback - 128 pages (1999) / Puffin
Brief factual stories about how various familiar things were invented, many by accident, from animal crackers to the zipper.
Why Didn't I Think of That?: Bizarre Origins of Ingenious Inventions We Couldn't Live Without
by Allyn Freeman, Bob Golden / Paperback: 260 pages / John Wiley & Sons; (September 1997)
Filled with wacky and fascinating facts, awe-inspiring success statistics, and rags-to-riches stories, Chronicles the odd origins behind 50 famous inventions and reveals the business side of each product's actual production, marketing, and distribution.
Garrett Morgan: Inventor
by Garnet Jackson / Paperback - 26 pages / Dearborn Financial Publishing (1992)
A brief biography of an African American inventor that describes, in rhyming text, how his lifelong interest in machines led to the invention of the traffic signal.

ON THE WEB:
William Potts Traffic Light
Although Potts' achievement seems to not have been recognized at the time, a United States Court decision in 1928 established that he was, indeed, the inventor of the first 4-way, three-color signal.
(URL: www.signalfan.com)
Four-Way Traffic Signal
The intersection of Woodward Avenue and Fort Street (or Woodward and Michigan Avenue; both sites are recorded) in Detroit was the site of the world's first four-way traffic stop, which was put there in 1920. The stoplight had twelve bulbs and was manually operated.
(URL: www.michiganhistorymagazine.com/features/michweek/splash.html)
Garrett Morgan's Traffic Light
Invention of the traffic light according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
(URL: education.dot.gov/aboutmorgan.html)
Mr. Trafficlight
The first traffic lights had only four-inch lenses and the shell was wood with a tin cover. An original lamp was presented to Henry Ford’s collection of Americana at the Edison Institute, Greenfield Village, in 1938.
(URL: www33.brinkster.com/iiiii/trfclt/mrtrafficlight/mrtrafficlight.html)
The Hery Ford - Greenfield Village
Experience 300 years of history as the sights, sounds and sensations of America’s past come alive!
(URL: www.thehenryford.com/village/default.asp)
Why Are Traffic Signals Red, Green and Amber?
In 1920 Police Officer William Potts addressed the chaotic traffic of Detroit, Michigan, by co-opting the red, amber, and green automatic traffic light system used on railroads.
(URL: ask.yahoo.com/20031023.html)
Switching Signals
As traffic jams and headaches increase, inventors are continuing to work hard to make travel more safe and efficient.
(URL: homepages.cae.wisc.edu/~wiscengr/didyouknow/Traffic%20Lights/traffic_lights.shtml)
The Traffic Signal Museum
This site displays a private collection of over 75 vehicle and pedestrian traffic signals. Most people don't realize how many different types and makes of signals there are. The Traffic Signal Museum is the name of the site, it is not a real museum.
(URL: www.trafficsignalmuseum.com/)
Invention Dimension - Inventor of the Week
Featured Garrett A. Morgan (1877-1963) for his invention of the The Gas Mask.
(URL: web.mit.edu/invent/iow/morgan.html)

DID YOU KNOW?

• The Morgan traffic signal was a T-shaped pole unit that featured three positions: Stop, Go and an all-directional stop position. This “third position” halted traffic in all directions to allow pedestrians to cross streets more safely.

• Morgan's traffic management device was used throughout North America until it was replaced by the red, yellow and green-light traffic signals currently used around the world.

• Morganr sold the rights to his traffic signal to the General Electric Corporation for $40,000.

• Shortly before his death, in 1963, Morgan was awarded a citation for his traffic signal by the United States Government.

• Garrett Morgan earned US Patent No.1,475,024 issued November 20, 1923 fot his traffic signal.