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A fraud. Or, to be fair: an error.

Traffic lights were invented in the UK by railway engineer JP Knight (who was neither African nor American) in 1868. They were similar to existing railway signals, so it wasn't that spectacular as inventions go.

The modern electric traffic light was invented by Lester Wire (who was American, but not African ... at least not recently; the "Out of Africa" theory says we're all African in ancestry, so let me just call a spade a spade here: he was white) no later than 1912.

Garret Morgan, who did meet the "African American" (that is, black) criterion, invented a traffic signal (that was inferior in several ways to existing designs - it was manual, and operated by a crank, and there's no reliable evidence it was ever actually even used) in 1923, but it apparently makes some people feel better to think that the traffic light was invented by a black man. The sad thing about this is that Morgan really was an inventor, and invented a personal safety hood and smoke protector to help firefighters and emergency workers breathe which he personally demonstrated the effectiveness of by rescuing some people while using it - a far more important invention than a hand-cranked traffic signal in an age when automatic electric signals already existed.

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Enos Reichel

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12y ago

A fraud. Or, to be fair: an error.

Traffic lights were invented in the UK by railway engineer JP Knight (who was neither African nor American) in 1868. They were similar to existing railway signals, so it wasn't that spectacular as inventions go.

The modern electric traffic light was invented by Lester Wire (who was American, but not African ... at least not recently; the "Out of Africa" theory says we're all African in ancestry, so let me just call a spade a spade here: he was white) no later than 1912.

Garret Morgan, who did meet the "African American" (that is, black) criterion, invented a traffic signal (that was inferior in several ways to existing designs - it was manual, and operated by a crank, and there's no reliable evidence it was ever actually even used) in 1923, but it apparently makes some people feel better to think that the traffic light was invented by a black man. The sad thing about this is that Morgan really was an inventor, and invented a personal safety hood and smoke protector to help firefighters and emergency workers breathe which he personally demonstrated the effectiveness of by rescuing some people while using it - a far more important invention than a hand-cranked traffic signal in an age when automatic electric signals already existed.

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Q: Who is the famous African American inventor who invented the Traffic Light in the the early 1900?
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Related questions

Who is garret Morgan?

Paris, African American Inventor.


African American who invented the Traffic light?

Garrett Morgan


Why is Garrett Augustus Morgan famous?

Garrett Augustus Morgan was the African American who invented the three way automatic traffic light.


What was Garrett Morgan famous for?

Garrett Augustus Morgan, Sr. was an African American, inventor who originated a respiratory protective hood (similar to the modern gas masks), credited with being the inventor of a type of traffic signal, and invented a hair-straightening preparation. 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.


Who invented the 3 way automatic traffic signal?

The first inventor was Garret A. Morgan at around 1923.


What did Garrett Morgan achieve?

Garrett Morgan, was an African American inventor who invented a respiratory protective covering something like the modern gas masks,he also invented a hair-straightening machine and a type of traffic signal. He is well known for a action filled rescue in which he used his hood to save workers trapped in a tunnel system filled with noxious gases.


What inventions were invented by African Americans?

There have been many African American inventors over the years. Some of their inventions are dyes, the blood bank, gas masks, and the traffic signal among other things.


What are traffic lights used for?

inventor of the traffic light


Who invented the straddling bus?

The inventor (designer) of the straddling bus was Song Youzhou, striving to solve the problem of urban traffic jams.


Who was the first black man who made the traffic light?

In 1923, Garrett Augustus Morgan, Sr., an African American inventor, patented his own version of the traffic signal. The Morgan traffic signal was a non-electric, T-shaped pole unit that featured three hand-cranked positions: Stop, in all -directional stop position. This third position halted traffic in all directions to allow pedestrians to cross streets more safely. It was never practical enough to put into production. The story nevertheless has been widely and erroneously circulated that Morgan was the "inventor" of the traffic signal.


Who was the inventor of traffic light?

Garrett Morgan


Who invented traffic invented?

cars invented traffic its simple and road ok have fun