And that’s the part that’s amazing,” Fouche said. Garrett Morgan’s granddaughter, Sandra Morgan, said he’s an inspiration to her family, and that people often lionized him.

On Nov. 20, 2023, it will be exactly 100 years ago to the very day that Garrett Augustus Morgan Sr. received a patent for the precursor to today’s traffic light.

Bringing traffic to a standstill Before Garrett Morgan’s invention was patented in 1923, traffic signals were manually operated by officers with only two instructions – stop and go.

Garrett Morgan, a Cleveland inventor, created the traffic light in 1923, improving road safety with his three-position signal. His legacy still impacts drivers today ...

The answer leads right back to Cleveland and the legacy of Garrett A. Morgan. Morgan, the first Black man in Cleveland to own a car, saw firsthand the dangers of early traffic intersections.

The answer leads right back to Cleveland and the legacy of Garrett A. Morgan. Morgan, the first Black man in Cleveland to own a car, saw firsthand the dangers of early traffic intersections.

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.

A replica of Garrett Morgan's three-signal traffic light, first courtesy tested in Willoughby when it was invented 100-plus years ago, stands near the city's municipal court on state Route 640 and ...

Garrett Morgan was born in 1877 in Paris, Kentucky. His parents were Sydney Morgan and Elizabeth Reed, who were both formerly enslaved. Morgan left his family’s farm at the age of 14 and moved to ...