(AURN News) — On Oct. 13, 1914, Garrett Morgan, a pioneering Black American inventor, received a U.S. patent for his safety hood, an early version of the modern gas mask.
Designed to protect firefighters and other workers from smoke and dangerous fumes, the device used a hood and breathing tube to draw cleaner air from near the ground.
Morgan’s invention proved its value in 1916, when an explosion trapped workers in a tunnel beneath Lake Erie in Cleveland, Ohio. Morgan, his brother and two volunteers wore the safety hoods as they entered the smoke-filled tunnel, helping rescue several men.
Despite his achievements, Morgan faced racial discrimination, including resistance from customers who learned he was Black.
He also developed a three-position traffic signal, which he patented in 1923.
Morgan died in 1963, leaving a legacy of inventions that made everyday life safer for millions of people.
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