Biography of Garrett Morgan, Inventor of the Gas Mask

Garrett Morgan (March 4, 1877–July 27, 1963) was an inventor and businessman from Cleveland who is best known for inventing a device called the Morgan Safety Hood and Smoke Protector in 1914. The invention was later dubbed the gas mask. Fast Facts: Garrett Morgan Known For: Invention of safety hood (early gas mask) and mechanical traffic signalBorn: March 4, 1877 in Claysville,  KentuckyParents: Sydney Morgan, Elizabeth ReedDied: July 27, 1963 in Cleveland,  OhioEducation: Up to sixth gradePublished Works:  The  Cleveland Call, a weekly African American newspaper that he established in 1916, which became the  still-published Cleveland Call and Post in 1929Awards and Honors:  Recognized at the Emancipation Centennial Celebration in  Chicago, Illinois, in August 1963; schools and streets named in his honor; included in the 2002 book,  100 Greatest African Americans  by  Molefi Kete Asante; honorary member of  Alpha Phi Alpha  fraternitySpouse(s): Madge Nelson, Mary HasekChildren: John P. Morgan, Garrett A. Morgan, Jr., and Cosmo H. MorganNotable Quote: â€Å"If you can be the best, then why not try to be the best?†Ã‚   Early Life The son of former slaves, Garrett Augustus Morgan was born in Claysville, Kentucky, on March 4, 1877. His mother was of Native American, black, and white descent (her father was a minister named  Rev.  Garrett  Reed), and his father, was half-black and half-white, the son of the Confederate Colonel John Hunt Morgan, who led Morgans Raiders in the Civil War. Garrett was the seventh of 11 children, and his early childhood was spent attending school and working on the family farm with his brothers and sisters. While still a teenager, he left Kentucky and moved north to Cincinnati, Ohio, in search of opportunities. Although Morgans formal education never took him beyond elementary school, he worked to give himself an education, hiring a tutor while living in Cincinnati and continuing his studies in English grammar. In 1895, Morgan moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where he went to work as a sewing machine repairman for a clothing manufacturer, teaching himself as much as he could about sewing machinery and experimenting with the process. Word of his experiments and his proficiency for fixing things traveled fast, and he worked for numerous manufacturing firms in the Cleveland area. In 1907, the inventor opened his sewing equipment and repair shop. It was the first of several businesses he would establish. In 1909, he expanded the enterprise to include a tailoring shop that employed 32 people. The new company turned out coats, suits, and dresses, all sewn with equipment that Morgan himself had made. Marriage and Family Morgan married twice, first to Madge Nelson in 1896; they were divorced in 1898. In 1908 he married Mary Anna Hasek, a seamstress from Bohemia: It was one of the earliest interracial marriages in Cleveland. They had three children, John P., Garrett A., Jr., and Cosmo H. Morgan. The Safety Hood (Early Gas Mask) In 1914, Morgan was awarded two patents for the invention of an early gas mask, the Safety Hood and Smoke Protector. He manufactured the mask and sold it nationally and internationally through the National Safety Device Company, or Nadsco, using a marketing strategy to avoid Jim Crow discrimination—what historian Lisa Cook calls anonymity by dissociation. At the time, entrepreneurs sold their inventions by conducting live demonstrations. Morgan appeared in these events to the general public, with municipal fire departments, and city officials representing himself as his own assistant—a Native American man called Big Chief Mason. In the South, Morgan hired whites, sometimes public safety professionals, to stage demonstrations for him. His newspaper advertisements featured smartly dressed white male models. The gas mask proved very popular: New York City quickly adopted the mask, and, eventually, 500 cities followed suit. In 1916, a refined model of Morgans gas mask was awarded a gold medal at the International Exposition of Sanitation and Safety and another gold medal from the International Association of Fire Chiefs. The Lake Erie Crib Disaster On July 25, 1916, Morgan made national news for using his gas mask to rescue men trapped during an explosion in an underground tunnel located 250 feet beneath Lake Erie. No one had been able to reach the men: Eleven of them had died as had ten others attempting to rescue them. Called in the middle of the night six hours after the incident, Morgan and a team of volunteers donned the new gas masks and brought two workers out alive and recovered the bodies of 17 others. He personally gave artificial respiration to one of the men he rescued. Afterward, Morgans company received many additional requests from fire departments around the country that wished to purchase the new masks. However, the national news contained photographs of him, and officials in a number of southern cities canceled their existing orders when they discovered he was black. In 1917, the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission reviewed the reports of heroism displayed during the disaster. Based on news reports that downplayed Morgans role, the Carnegie board decided to give the prestigious Hero award to a minor figure in the rescue effort who was white, rather than to Morgan. Morgan protested, but the Carnegie Institution said he hadnt risked as much as the other person had because he had safety equipment. Some reports say the Morgan gas mask was modified and used in World War I after the Germans unleashed chemical warfare at Ypres on April 22, 1915, although theres no strong evidence for it. Despite Morgans popularity in the United States, there were dozens of other masks on the market by then, and most used in WWI were of English or French manufacture. The Morgan Traffic Signal In 1920, Morgan moved into the newspaper business when he established the Cleveland Call. As the years went on, he became a prosperous and widely respected businessman and was able to purchase a home and an automobile, invented by Henry Ford in 1903. In fact, Morgan was the first African American to purchase an automobile in Cleveland, and it was Morgans experience while driving along the streets of that city that inspired him to invent an improvement to traffic signals. After witnessing a collision between an automobile and a horse-drawn carriage, Morgan took his turn at inventing a traffic signal. While other inventors had experimented with, marketed, and even patented traffic signals, Morgan was one of the first to apply for and acquire a U.S. patent for an inexpensive way to produce a traffic signal. The patent was granted on November 20, 1923. Morgan also had his invention patented in Great Britain and Canada. Morgan stated in his patent for the traffic signal: This invention relates to traffic signals, and particularly to those which are adapted to be positioned adjacent the intersection of two or more streets and are manually operable for directing the flow of traffic...In addition, my invention contemplates the provision of a signal which may be readily and cheaply manufactured. The Morgan traffic signal was a T-shaped pole unit that featured three positions: Stop, Go, and an all-directional stop position. This third position halted traffic in all directions to allow pedestrians to cross streets more safely. Morgans hand-cranked semaphore traffic management device was in use throughout North America until all manual traffic signals were replaced by the automatic red-, yellow-,  and green-light traffic signals currently used around the world. The inventor sold the rights to his traffic signal to the General Electric Corporation for $40,000. Other Inventions Throughout his life, Morgan was always experimenting to develop new concepts. Though the traffic signal came at the height of his career and became one of his most famous inventions, it was just one of several innovations he developed, manufactured, and sold over the years. Morgan invented a zig-zag stitching attachment for ​the  manually operated sewing machine. He also founded a company that made personal grooming products  such as hair dying ointments and the curved-tooth pressing comb. As word of Morgans life-saving inventions spread across North America and England, demand for these products grew. He was frequently invited to conventions and public exhibitions to demonstrate how his inventions worked. Death Along with many others, Morgan lost most of his wealth with the stock market crash, but it didnt stop his inventive nature. He developed glaucoma, but at the time of his death he was still working on a new invention: a  self-extinguishing  cigarette. Morgan died on August 27, 1963, at the age of 86. His life was long and full, and his creative energies were recognized both during and after his lifetime. Legacy Morgans inventions have had a tremendous impact on the safety and well-being of people all over the world—from miners to soldiers to first responders to ordinary car owners and pedestrians. Another ongoing legacy is his weekly newspaper, originally named the  Cleveland Call and now called the  Cleveland Call and Post. His achievements as a son of slaves, against all odds, and in the face of Jim Crow era discrimination, are inspiring. Case Western University awarded him an honorary degree, and his papers are stored there.   Sources Asante, Molefi Kete. 100 Greatest African Americans: A Biographical Encyclopedia. Prometheus Books, 2002.Cook, Lisa D. Overcoming Discrimination by Consumers During the Age of Segregation: The Example of Garrett Morgan. The Business History Review vol. 86, no. 2, 2012, pp. 211–34.Evans, Harold, Gail Buckland, and David Lefer. Garrett Augustus Morgan (1877–1963): He Came to the Rescue With his Gas Mask. They Made America: From the Steam Engine to the Search Engine: Two Centuries of Innovators. Little Brown, 2004.  Garner, Carla. â€Å"Garrett A. Morgan Sr. (1877?-1963) †¢ BlackPast.†Ã‚  BlackPast, 2 Aug. 2019, https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/morgan-garrett-sr-1877-1963/.King, William M. Guardian of the Public Safety: Garrett A. Morgan and the Lake Erie Crib Disaster. The Journal of Negro History vol. 70, no.1/2, 1985, pp. 1–13.Smart, Jeffrey K. History of the Army Protective Mask. NBC Defense Systems: Army Soldier and Biological Ch emical Command, 1999.â€Å"Who Made America? | Innovators | Garrett Augustus Morgan.†Ã‚  PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/theymadeamerica/whomade/morgan_hi.html.

Compare and Contrast the Destructors and the Rocking Horse...

Graham Greene’s â€Å"The Destructor’s†, and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner† (Both stories reprinted in Thomas R. Arp and Greg Johnson, Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense, 9th ed. [Boston: Wadsworth] 111-124, 285-298) are two short stories set in post-war England. Despite the similarities of both stories set in post-war eras of Great Britain, the mood and physical settings are vastly different. In fact, the stories each give differing amounts of details and clues about the setting. For instance, â€Å"The Destructors† setting is easily discernable, but in contrast, â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner† gives only vague clues regarding the time and setting. Regardless of the differences in the amount of details given, the†¦show more content†¦However, the story delves further into the description of setting by narrowing the precise time and setting to a three day period in a seldom used car-park adjacent to the â€Å"shattered Northwood Terrace† (112). The author uses the shattered remains of the Northwood Terrace to further illustrate the destructive setting in which the story is told. Conversely, author D.H. Lawrence gives fewer details about the exact time and place in which the setting of â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner† is set. Unlike â€Å"The Destructors†, Lawrence only gives the reader a brief glimpse of time and setting. However, several clues suggest the setting is in the English countryside, sometime after the end of World War I. The use of British monetary terms, â€Å"pounds and schillings† (290), offers evidence the story is set in England. We know it is the countryside because Lawrence tells us â€Å"the mother went into town everyday† (293, 294). Additional clues to time and setting are vague. The use of cars obviously places the time within the twentieth-century. The reference that Basset, one of the central characters, was wounded during the war, and the fact the story was written by Lawrence, who died in 1930, supports the view that the story is set in post World War I England. In contrast to the destructive setting of the â€Å"The Destructor’s†, the setting of â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner† is one of physical beauty. The mother of Paul is described inShow MoreRelated Comparison and Contrast of The Destructors and The Rocking Horse Winner888 Words   |  4 PagesComparison and Contrast of â€Å"The Destructors†, by Graham Greene and â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner†, by D.H. Lawrence This comparison and contrast of â€Å"The Destructors†, by Graham Greene and â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner†, by D.H. Lawrence will center on selected parts of stories from the opening through the conclusion. I will seek to compare and contrast both authors’ choices of characters, themes, techniques of suspense, moral statements, and conclusions. â€Å"The Destructors† and â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner† wereRead MoreEssay on Eng 102 Short Story735 Words   |  3 PagesFiction Essay Thesis and Outline Instructions    In Module/Week 3, you will write a 750-words (about 3–4-pages) essay that compares and contrasts two stories from the Fiction Unit.   Before you begin writing the essay, carefully read the guidelines for developing your paper topic that are given below.   Review the Fiction Essay Grading Rubric to see how your submission will be graded.   Gather all of your information, plan the direction of your essay, and organize your ideas by developing a one-pageRead MoreENG 102 fiction essay instruction768 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿Fiction Essay Instructions In Module/Week 3, you will write a 750-word (about 3–4-pages) essay that compares and contrasts 2 stories from the Fiction Unit. Before you begin writing the essay, carefully read the guidelines for developing your paper topic that are given below. Review the Fiction Essay Grading Rubric to see how your submission will be graded. Gather all of your information, plan the direction of your essay, and organize your ideas by developing a 1-page thesis statement and outline

Pglo free essay sample

Experiment #5 Aim: Purpose of this lab is to have plasmid activity transformed Material: Bacteria starter plate, pGLO DNA Plasmid, microcentrifuge tubes, Ice, water bath, CaCl2 Transformation solution, (LB) agar plate, (LB/Amp) agar plate, (LB/Amp/ara) agar plate, Micropipette, and Micropipette tips. Method: Genetic transformation is a procedure which is done by taking genes from one organism and putting them in another organism. A gene is a piece of DNA that instruct for making a new protein and from this protein organism a certain trait. A gene is inserted into an organism in order to change the organism’s trait. This procedure lab is divided into two day lab. On day one, we started the procedure with getting agar plate where HB101 bacteria were growing for 24 hours at 37C. We began by first labeling two microtubes; one with (+pGLO) and second with (-pGLO). 250ul of transformation solution which we used (CaCl2) was transfer to each tubes and placed those tubes on ice. We will write a custom essay sample on Pglo or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page HB101 bacteria single colony was picked by using sterile inoculation loop and immersed into (+pGLO) tube and later immersed into (-pGLO) using same technique. Both time we used different sterile inoculation loop. The tubes were placed back into the ice after mixing well the colony each time. The pGLO plasmid DNA was added by the instructor into (+pGLO) not into (-PGLO) tube and placed the tube back into ice. The tubes were incubated on ice for 10 minutes. Once done incubating both tubes were performed heat shocks at 42 degree C temperature for 50 second. Both tubes were immediately placed into the ice for another 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, 250ul of LB broth was added to each tube and again incubated for 10 minutes at room temperature. Once the incubation was done, we transferred 100ul of cell suspension to the plates which was provided by using the table LB/Amp| LB/Amp/ara| LB/Amp| LB| (+pGLO)| (+pGLO)| (-pGLO)| (-pGLO)| Once the cell suspension was transferred, cells were gently spread 10 swipes using inoculation loop on the agar and rotated the plate 45 degree. The plates were placed into incubator at 37 degrees by turning he tubes upside down and taping them. Result: