Garrett Morgan
(1877-1963)

Both of Garrett Morgan’s inventions—the gas mask and traffic signal—help save lives. Many soldiers survived the First World War thanks to the gas mask, which prevented deadly mustard gas from entering the lungs. Today, our roads are orderly and less dangerous thanks to traffic lights that come from Morgan’s original idea. Morgan came up with the idea for a traffic light after witnessing an accident involving a horse-drawn buggy and a car.