11292 traffic light the short history

Garrett Augustus Morgan

Born : 4th March 1877 – Paris, Kentucky (USA)
Died : 27th August 1963 – Cleveland, Ohio (USA)
He was an African-American inventor. His inventions made people’s
life safer and more convenient.

Think about driving

without traffic lights.

What a nightmare ! The next time you stop for a red light,
thank the inventor, Garrett A. Morgan.
It’s 1877. Garrett A. Morgan is born to
a poor African-American family. When he
is 14 he leaves school and goes to work.
He doesn’t have much education but he’s
very imaginative. He teaches himself.
Morgan works in a sewing machine shop.
He gets interested in machines. He always looks
for better ways to do things.
It’s 1901. Morgan invents a special belt for sewing
machine. He sells the idea for $ 150. But this is only the
beginning. Morgan invents many things.
Now it’s 1914. Morgan invents a helmet
miners

and firefighters

__ 1. Garrett A. Morgan was born in 1875.
__ 2. Morgan comes from a rich African-American family.

__ 3. Garrett leaves school and teaches himself.
__ 4. He works as a mechanic.
__ 5. He invents a special belt for sewing machine.
__ 6. He invents helmet to protect miners and
Firefighters in 1944.
__ 7. He invents a traffic light with the timer.
__ 8. Garrett A. Morgan sells his invention to the
General Electric Company.

to protect
from smoke and

gas. He wins a gold medal for this invention.
Morgan looks for other problems to solve. Cars are
very popular in the USA. The streets are crowded with
cars. There are many accidents. Morgan has and idea.
What about a light at each street corner ?
The light tell the cars to stop or go. He invents
a timer that automatically changes the light.
Cities all over the country want to have Morgan’s traffic
lights but he can’t produce enough of them.
It’s the 1920s. He sells his invention to the General
Electric Company. He gets $ 40,000. This is a large
amount of money for that time.

Key

Write T (true) or F (false) :

Answer the questions :

1. Where was Garrett A. Morgan born ?
___________________________________________
2. Who was Mr. Morgan ?
___________________________________________
3. What was his first invention ?
___________________________________________
4. What did he invent in 1914 ?
___________________________________________
5. What did he win for this invention ?
___________________________________________
6. Why did Morgan sell his invention – the traffic light, to
the General Electric Company ?
___________________________________________
___________________________________


Write T (true) or F (false) :
1 – F (1877)
2 – F (poor)
3–T
4 – F ( a seller)
5–T
6 – F (1914)
7–T
8–T

Answer the questions :
1 – in Paris, Kentucky (USA)
2 – an African-American inventor

3 – a special belt for sewing machine
4 – a helmet to protect miners and firefighters
5 – a gold medal
6 – because cities all over the country wanted to have the traffic lights but
he couldn’t produce enough of them