Garret Augustus Morgan Essay, Research Paper

Garret Augustus Morgan was born on March 4, 1877. He was the seventh of eleven children born to the Morgan family in Paris, Kentucky. As a young boy Morgan was very creative. Morgan taught himself after he left school. After he dropped out of fifth grade, he left home at the age of fourteen for Cleveland. Despite no formal education Morgan became a very successful man. He has created many inventions that have improved the lives of everyone. His inventions range from hair products, to gas masks, to his most famous-the traffic light.

When Morgan moved to Cleveland he developed and patented the first chemical hair straitner. This provided Mr. Morgan with financial comfort and stability. As a result of this he no longer had to work. With the time he now had, Morgan was able to invent the first gas mask. This made firefighter?s jobs comparatively easy. When he had fist invented it; Morgan saved firefighters from a fire in a firehouse in Cleveland. His gas masks also saved thousands of lives in World War I.

Later on in his life Morgan created the invention that has and will saved billions of lives collectively. One event inspired Morgan to make this invention-an accident. On one after noon Morgan was standing on a street corner when an automobile crashed into a horse-n-buggy. Both drivers were badly hurt and the horse had to be shot, after pondering over the accident, Morgan came up with a simple solution to all accidents-the traffic light. This simple but effective device had a STOP sign and GO sign that alternated back and forth in an intersection. Later, it was formed into the traffic signal that we are used to speeding under when it turns yellow. He had his invention patented in 1923, this officially marked him the as father of traffic control. After he patented it, he sold the idea to General Electric for $40,000.

Today, Morgan?s basic idea has been integrated into every street corner in America (whether it is a traffic signal or stop sign). It is impossible to fathom what life would be like if Morgan had never invented the traffic light. It seems that we should all credit our lives to this man. Without him the automobile would not have become as prevalent as it is today. His other inventions have also made a significant dent into the wall time (in the twentieth century). The gas masks he invented have been used in every war since he invented them (in some form). His hair care products have improved the hair of men and women all over the world. The only draw back of his research in the area of hair is the development of the hairstyle ?Jerry-Curl?(hahaha, just a joke to light things up). On a serious note, Garret A. Morgan has improved the lives of everyone on this earth. Ever time you run a yellow/red light remember that G. Morgan invented that very device to save your life