LOUISVILLE, Ky. — He's the mind behind so many parts of every day life.
Inventor and entrepreneur Garrett Morgan was born in Paris, Kentucky on March 4, 1877 to freed slaves. When he finished sixth grade, he was not allowed to continue his education. So, he moved to Ohio to look for work.
But that didn't stop him from making a name for himself.
“I don't think that there's anybody come from the state who has made a bigger impact and overcome so much," Mick Sullivan, curator of guest experience with the Frazier History Museum, said.
“Garrett Morgan invented the traffic light," Sullivan continued. "But I would argue that the gas mask, the safety hood that he created was his most important, certainly the most dramatic part of his life story.”
Morgan was inspired to create the safety hood, the early version of the gas mask, after a fire in New York. People had no way to escape, and firefighters had no way to breathe to go inside and make rescues. So, Morgan found a solution.
“What he invented and patented in 1914 as the safety hood, was this big canvas cover of tubes that went down to the floor and it would drag as you pull further from the smoke, but there were filters on there, too," Sullivan said. "It worked really well."
There was an emergency in Cleveland and Morgan was asked to use his invention to help.
“That's what led to that picture is because there was a disaster," Sullivan said.
The story goes that they called Morgan for assistance, and he needed to get there in a hurry. Sullivan talks about the historical significance,
“Garrett was the first African American to have a car in Cleveland. So, they call him up in the middle of the night. I mean, they wake him up and he shows up in his pajamas with the hood. He goes in and rescues six people. His brother came along with him and helped in the rescue efforts. They brought the six survivors out alive,” Sullivan explained.
But Morgan wasn't finished yet.
“He founded the first Black newspaper in Cleveland," Sullivan said. "And it didn't stop there. He and his brother were refused admission into a country club. They actually pulled their resources and bought land and opened a country club that was open to anyone, which ran for a long, long time.”
Morgan sold his patent for the traffic light to General Electric and the patent to the gas mask for a total of $58,000. That was the beginning of the generational wealth for his family. Records show he may still have family living in Paris, Kentucky, while others live in Ohio and Illinois.
“The fact that he was able to devise an invention to keep people safe in those situations. That's a pretty strong connection and a pretty strong legacy to Kentucky,” Sullivan said.
Morgan is also credited for the zig zag attachment on the sewing machine, and hair straighten and coloring solutions.
He died on August 27, 1963 at the age of 86 but his contributions live on today.
►Contact WHAS11’s Sherlene Shanklin at sshanklin@whas11.com or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.