Garrett Morgan Accomplishments

Garrett Morgan once said, “If you can be the best, then why not try to be the best?” Garrett Augustus was an African American inventor that changed the world. He created invented two products that we need to be safe today. I believe that his inventions are among the best. These two products include, traffic lights and gas masks. Without a traffic light, the world would have so many car accidents. Traffic light are simply lights on a busy street that tell us when to stop, when to slow down, and when to go. Gas masks protect the user from inhaling harmful chemicals or pollutants. Many people used gas masks in the world wars because of poisonous attacks. That’s why his inventions are very important to us today. Garrett Morgan was born on March 4th, 1877 in Paris, Kentucky. Garrett’s parents were former slaves. He was the 7th out of 11 children. When Morgan was 15, he became an experienced handyman. Morgan moved to Cincinnati in search of work. Later, he found a job in Cleveland, OH. There, he stared his own sewing machine and shoe repair shop. A couple years later, he increased his business including, tailoring, and also making …show more content…
Morgan realized the firefighters were struggling to breathe. He had just invented the lifesaving gas mask. In 1914, Morgan was awarded the patent for his safety hood and smoke protection. Two years later, he polished a model of his early gas mask and was awarded a gold medal at the International Exposition of Sanitation and Safety and also the International Association of Fire Chiefs. His invention was tested during the Lake Erie Crib Disaster in 1916. A crew of construction workers were trapped 200 under Lake Erie. Morgan, his brother Frank, and a white man named Tom Clancy saved 32 lives that night. Many military men used a new and improved gas mask in World War II. He knew that he saved thousands of lives with his gas mask, but is it true that he just might be able to save