The Man Who Has Saved Millions

As he got older, Morgan became determined to make a better life for himself. He moved north to Ohio. There were better opportunities for Black people there. He soon found a job fixing people’s homes. He used his money to hire a private tutor to keep learning.

Two years later, he found a job working at a clothing factory. Morgan worked long hours. His creative mind was working too. Morgan studied the factory’s sewing machines as they whizzed and ticked. Before long, he invented a new way to keep the machines from breaking. Word spread that Morgan could fix almost anything. 

In 1907, Morgan opened his own sewing machine repair shop. And by 1909, he had his own clothing store. 

Morgan had become very successful. He now had the time and money to start working on an invention the world desperately needed. It would be his most important invention yet.

Morgan got older. He became determined to make a better life for himself. He moved north to Ohio. Life was a little bit better for Black people there. He soon found a job fixing people’s homes. He used his money to hire a private tutor. He wanted to keep learning.

Two years passed. He found a job working at a clothing factory. Morgan worked long hours. He had a very creative mind. Morgan watched the factory’s sewing machines. They whizzed and ticked. Before long, he came up with a new way to stop the machines from breaking. Word spread that Morgan could fix almost anything. 

In 1907, Morgan opened his own sewing machine repair shop. And by 1909, he had his own clothing store. 

Morgan became very successful. He had the time and money to work on an invention the world needed. It would be his most important invention yet.

In the early 1900s, fires were a deadly problem in cities. Many buildings were made of wood. One spark could start a huge fire. Fighting fires was very different back then. Firefighters didn’t have the right tools to help them breathe while in smoky places. They often choked on smoke before they were able to rescue people. 

Morgan wanted to help prevent that—and help firefighters save more lives. He wondered: What can I make to help firefighters breathe while in smoky air? 

Morgan started experimenting. Some of his ideas failed. But Morgan was persistent. After about three years, he had an invention that worked.

In the early 1900s, fires were a deadly problem in cities. Many buildings were made of wood. One spark could start a huge fire. 

Fighting fires was different back then. Firefighters didn’t have the right tools to help them breathe in smoky places. They often choked on smoke before they were able to rescue people. 

Morgan wanted to help firefighters save lives. He wondered: What can I make to help firefighters breathe while in smoky air? 

Morgan started making things. Some of his ideas failed. But Morgan was persistent. After about three years, he had an invention that worked.

At first glance, Morgan’s invention looked bizarre. It was a hood with long tubes poking out of it. They looked like elephant trunks! 

But it was a brilliant idea. The hood fit over a firefighter’s head and blocked smoke. The tubes stretched down to the floor. Why? During a fire, smoke and heat rise. The tubes let firefighters breathe the air lowest to the ground, which is the cleanest. 

Morgan called his invention the safety hood. He traveled across the country showing it to fire departments. Some loved it. But many refused to buy the hood because Morgan was Black. 

Then, on July 24, 1916, that terrible explosion happened. The safety hood was about to be put to the test.

Morgan’s invention looked bizarre. It was a hood with tubes poking out of it. They looked like elephant trunks! 

But his invention was a brilliant idea. The hood fit over a firefighter’s head. It blocked smoke. The tubes reached down to the floor. Why? During a fire, smoke and heat rise. The tubes let firefighters breathe the air lowest to the ground. That’s where the air is cleanest.

Morgan called his invention the safety hood. He showed it to fire departments around the country. Some loved it. But many people wouldn’t buy the hood because Morgan was Black. 

Then, on July 24, 1916, that terrible explosion happened. The safety hood was about to be put to the test.

In the early 1900s, fires were a deadly problem in cities. Firefighters had fewer tools back then. They often had to go into smoky places without the right tools. They weren’t able to breathe safely there.

Morgan wanted to make something that would help firefighters save lives. He made an invention that worked. But it looked bizarre. 

It was a hood with tubes poking out of it. The hood blocked smoke. The tubes reached down to the floor, where the air is the cleanest. Morgan called his invention the safety hood. 

Then, in 1916, the tunnel explosion happened. Morgan raced over with his safety hoods. He and others ran into the tunnel. Finally, they came back out. They were OK! They saved the lives of two men.

Morgan raced to the scene with his safety hoods. His hoods had never been tested underground. But time was running out. 

Morgan and a few other brave workers put on the hoods and raced into the tunnel. Would the hoods work?

The minutes ticked by. Five. Ten. Fifteen. Finally, Morgan and his helpers came back. They were OK! And they had saved one man.

They went back into the tunnel. In the end, they weren’t able to save everyone. But Morgan’s safety hoods had worked. They saved the lives of two men that day.

Morgan raced over with his safety hoods. His hoods had never been tested underground. But time was running out. 

Morgan and a few other brave workers put on the hoods. They raced into the tunnel. Would the hoods work?

The minutes went by. Five. Ten. Fifteen. Finally, Morgan and his helpers came back. They were OK! And they had saved one man.

They went back into the tunnel. In the end, they weren’t able to save everyone. But Morgan’s safety hoods had worked. They saved the lives of two men that day.

Morgan’s safety hood helped change the way we fight fires. His safety hood led to more advanced masks that block smoke and gas. And he didn’t stop there. He kept dreaming up new ways to solve problems. 

One day, Morgan saw a girl get injured in a car crash caused by messy traffic. He was again determined to help. He came up with a traffic signal that stopped cars on both sides of the street. This gave people a chance to cross the street when no cars were moving. His invention reduced the number of accidents and made streets safer for everyone.

By the time Morgan died in 1963, his inventions had helped millions of people. And they still do. Today, not many people know Garrett Morgan’s name. But now you do. And you know how he helped to make the world a safer place, one invention at a time.

Morgan’s safety hood helped change the way we fight fires. And he didn’t stop there. He kept dreaming up new ways to solve problems. 

One day, Morgan saw a girl get injured in a car crash caused by messy traffic. He wanted to help. He invented a safer traffic signal. It stopped cars on both sides of the street. This gave people a chance to cross the street when no cars were moving. It led to fewer accidents. And it made the streets safer for everyone.

Morgan died in 1963. His inventions had helped millions of people. And they still do. 

Today, not many people know Garrett Morgan’s name. But now you do. And you know how he helped to make the world a safer place, one invention at a time.

Morgan kept dreaming up new ways to solve problems. 

One day, Morgan saw a girl get injured while crossing the street. He wanted to help. He came up with a traffic signal that stopped cars on both sides of the street. This gave people a chance to walk across safely. It made streets safer for everyone.

Morgan’s inventions have helped millions of people. Still, not many people today know about him. But now you do. You know how he helped to make the world a safer place.