Inventor who originated a respiratory protective hood (similar to the modern gas masks), invented a hair-straightening preparation, and patented a type of traffic signal. He is renowned for a heroic rescue in which he used his hood to save workers trapped in a tunnel system filled with fumes. He is credited as the first African-American in Cleveland to own an automobile.
At the age of fourteen, Morgan moved north to Cincinnati, Ohio, in search of employment. Most of his teenage years were spent working as a handyman for a wealthy Cincinnati landowner. Like many African-Americans of his day, Morgan had to quit school at a young age, in order to work. However, the teen-aged Morgan was able to hire his own tutor and continued his studies while living in Cincinnati. In 1895, Morgan moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where he worked repairing sewing machines for a clothing manufacturer. He married Madge Nelson in 1896, but the marriage ended in divorce. Word of his skill at fixing things and experimenting spread quickly throughout Cleveland opening up various opportunities for him.
In 1907, Morgan opened his own sewing machine and shoe repair shop. It was the first of several businesses he would own. In 1908, Morgan helped found the Cleveland Association of Colored Men. That same year, he married Mary Anne Hassek and together they had three sons. In 1909, he expanded his business to include a tailoring shop. The company made coats, suits, dresses, etc. – all sewn with equipment that Morgan himself had made. Morgan experimented with a liquid that gave sewing machine needles a high polish and prevented the needle from scorching fabric as it sewed. Accidentally, Morgan discovered that this liquid not only straightened fabric but also hair. He made the liquid into a cream and began the G.A. Morgan Hair Refining Company. Morgan also made a black hair oil dye and a curved-tooth Iron comb in 1910, to straighten hair. In 1920, Morgan moved into the newspaper business when he established The Cleveland Call. As the years passed, he became a prosperous and widely respected businessman, and he was able to purchase a house and an automobile.
Garrett Morgan invented the safety hood and smoke protector after hearing about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. He was able to sell his invention around the country, although in many instances, he would have a white partner take credit as the inventor in order to further sell his product. When he displayed it himself, he became “Big Chief Mason”, a full-blooded Indian from the Walpole Island Indian Reservation in Canada.”[3] His invention became known nationally when he used it to save several men from a 1916 tunnel explosion under Lake Erie. Garrett was awarded a gold Medal of Bravery by prominent citizens of Cleveland, but his nomination for the Carnegie Medal was denied, in large part because of his race. Efforts by Morgan and his supporters over the years to correct this injustice have not been successful. Nevertheless, Morgan’s invention won gold medals from the International Association of Fire Chiefs and the International Exposition of Sanitation and Safety.
The first American-made automobiles were introduced to U.S. consumers just before the turn of the 20th Century, and pedestrians, bicycles, animal-drawn wagons and motor vehicles all had to share the same roads. Between 1912 and 1920, many different versions of electric traffic signals were invented and installed throughout the U.S. In 1923, Morgan patented his own version. The Morgan traffic signal was a T-shaped pole unit that featured three hand-cranked 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. Its one advantage over others of its type was the ability to operate it from a distance using a mechanical linkage; in all other respects it resembled earlier versions. The story nevertheless has been widely circulated that Morgan’s signal was the basis of later types of traffic signals, and that he sold his invention to the General Electric Company for $40,000.
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wow…this man made alot of things happen…too bad he couldn’t have kept this in his family for future generations.
My favorite part is that he wasn’t a One Trick Pony! He opened whatever could make money. He wasn’t Stuck on Stupid saying he is just a inventor or just a newspaper man! The only mistake to me is the selling of his patent but 40K back in those times might have been a good chunk of change, still I wouldn’t have sold.
The moral of this post is to show the guy made money in multiple places not just ONE! He made a lot of things happen and none of them are what you remember him for. We all have multiple talents the issues are will we try to realize all of them and can we hold on to them so they can benefit us for the rest of our lives!
very true
People just think they can only do one thing and that’s why they settle. Realistically you can change anytime you want if you just get up and do it.
It’s true but what are you going to do about it?
lol…good question
i have a few things running thru my head right now and i’m in the process of gathering the info i need to pull sum ish together asap.
my first goal is to get a website up. i’m still working on what angle i want to tackle with it but i have a name already that’s catchy and hasn’t been used yet. i also have been entertaining the idea of writing since it’s always been one of my strengths, children books, maybe even writing my life story because i see alot of people have made alot of money just telling what they been through. then i’m thinking of everyday things people need like exterminating & childcare. there’s this guy in my hood who opened up a small photography studio charging less than walmart & jc penney and everyone in the hood goes to him for their pics. the part that gets me is he didn’t need a degree or certification for that and he’s been doing really good for about 8 years now. i’m REALLY tryna find a niche like that but i can’t come up with anything right now.
@Keish – I like the children book angle, especially if you write stories that have a little black character. I think that is a niche and if you get 100 or so small ones ready who knows you might turn it into a cartoon series. First you just complete the writing and then you can find a cartoonist and copyright it. You can distribute them to parents coming out of Daycares, Working Black women in the city and churches as good wholesome stories that show their children.
The only way to beat cheap is with convenience.Convenience is anything that is intended to save resources (time, energy) or frustration. So that cat opened up shop in the hood and actually is cheaper so he is going to make a killing! Simple things make money but most people keep trying to open up Tea Houses in the hood instead of a dry cleaner of laundromat!
yeah, i’ve been thinking about that alot because of the whole princess tiana thing and her having a hispanic prince…i really would like to see black parents support something that is theirs. ALL black kids have dora & diego, i’m like… wtf???? hispanic ppl do NOT buy their kids black dolls and neither do white people. but like you said people will only support it if everyone else does…(???) lol
i dont know about a dry cleaners or laundromat for me personally, i’d need loans to buy equipment and a place to set up. i’m trying to zero in on something that i wouldn’t have to sign my life over for. lol
Well the childrens books can be developed for free and when it’s time to go about getting them out there you can put the money behind it then. I think if you write a lot of them like 50 books for this year, find a animator and maybe talk to Ed about finding you someone to build a website you’ll have something.
With the childrens books you just have to have a lot of completed work so when it does pop you are cranking them out and capitalizing on your hustle. Most people write one and think that’s good but realistically a series makes tons of money. Just look at that Harry Potter crap and how far she has taken writing childrens stories. I know yours won’t be like that but you never know what can be parlayed.
I agree the laundromat and cleaners need a capital outlay but I bet you they make it through this recession. Once you sell your books then we can come back and buy up the hood huh?
i’ve been getting ideas like crazy lately and i just had a lightbulb moment…see this is y i needed a mentor or someone to talk to so i can process and expand on my ideas….so thanks a billion :~)
yeah people who think cleaners are a necessity will continue to use them regardless. i personally dont believe in paying $5 to wash a pair of jeans so they don’t get my money at all. i’d rather hand wash and hang 2 dry. lol
yup that’s the plan…get the paper then buy the hood :~)
The hood is cheap land, underserved and little to no competition. If you can get a foot hold there the way the racist country goes no one is following you. I got a podcast on Monday talking exactly about this subject.
Also, were you able to download the podcast? Do you want me to email it to you so you can put it on your MP3 player?
nah i should be good to go…i just have to charge my ipod…i haven’t used it in a minute.
OK we’ll let me know bcuz I can email it to you as the posts usually come up at Midnight West West time. So I can get it to send you the podcast at the same time so you can have it for the morning commute!