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Inventor

The value of Garrett Morgan's "gas inhalator" was first acknowledged during a successful rescue operation of several men trapped by a tunnel explosion in the Cleveland waterworks some 200 feet below the surface of Lake Erie. During the emergency, Morgan, his brother, and two other volunteers-all wearing inhalators-were the only men able to descend into the smoky, gas-filled tunnel, and save several workers from asphyxiation.
Orders for the Morgan inhalator soon began to pour into Cleveland from fire companies all over the nation but, as soon as Morgan's racial identity became known, may of them were canceled. In the south, it was necessary for Morgan to utilize the services of a white man to demonstrate his invention. During World War I the Morgan inhalator was transformed into a gas mask used by combat troops.

Born in Paris, Kentucky, Morgan moved to Cleveland at an early age. His first invention was a improvement on the sewing machine which he sold for $150. In 1923, having established his reputation with the gas inhalator, he was able to commend a price of $40,000 from the General Electric Company for his automatic traffic sign.

Morgan died in Cleveland, the city which had awarded him a gold medal for his devotion to public safety.