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On November 20, 1923, the U.S. Patent Office grants Patent No. 1,475,074 to 46-year-old inventor and newspaperman Garrett Morgan for his three-position traffic signal.
Garrett Augustus Morgan Sr. (March 4, 1877 – July 27, 1963) was an American inventor, businessman, and community leader. His most notable inventions were a type of three-way traffic light, [1] and a protective 'smoke hood' [2] notably used in a 1916 tunnel construction disaster rescue.
Garrett Morgan was an American entrepreneur, inventor, and activist known for his safety innovations in the early 20th century, especially a protective hood that was a forerunner of the modern gas mask and an early traffic signal. Morgan was also involved in African American social causes.
The Morgan traffic signal was a T-shaped pole unit that featured three positions: Stop, Go and an all-directional stop position. The third position halted traffic in directions before it allowed travel to resume on either of the intersection's perpendicular roads.
Black Inventor Garrett Morgan Saved Countless Lives with Gas Mask and Improved Traffic Lights. In 1916 he strapped on his “safety hood” and dragged rescuers to safety, but racism prevented...
Shortly before his death, the US government issued Garrett Morgan a citation for his improved traffic signal. In 2005, he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
Black inventor Garrett Morgan created the prototypes for World War I gas masks and the modern traffic light. Read about his inventions, death, and more facts.
In 1923, Morgan patented his best-known invention, the three-way traffic signal. As an early enthusiast of automobiles, Morgan quickly recognized the need for better traffic control on congested city streets. His signal was based on signs that signaled stop and go.
Did Garrett Morgan Invent the Traffic Light? Garrett Morgan did not invent the traffic signal, however, he did make significant improvements to the design of the 3-way traffic signal. Morgan patented this new design and eventually sold the rights to General Electric.
Although traffic lights did exist at the time, Morgan saw a way to make them better. In 1923, he received US Patent 1,475,024 for his T-shaped, manually operated traffic signal that “stopped vehicles in both directions before changing the direction of traffic flow.