The Challenge:

To be a more aware and well-rounded science educator and citizen I am searching for scientists who are not well known, many of them have been ignored in the past due to prejudice and/or ignorance. It is time to acknowledge, celebrate and recognize, for the sake of all students, those scientists, engineers and inventors who remain unknown but have had major impacts on our world.

A Solution:

I began keeping my eyes and heart open to “meeting” new scientists by combing the Internet for people who are or have worked in areas that I am passionate about.

You may not have heard of Granville T. Woods who was an African American engineer (1856-1910). He was one of the most prolific inventors of the 19th century (had over 50 patents). Many of our modern devises especially related to transportation are based on his patented inventions.

Woods caught my attention because Thomas Edison claimed that Woods’s invention of the Synchronous Multiplex Railway Telegraph (1887), a device that allowed trains to communicate between stations while moving, was his idea. Edison sued Woods but lost, Woods did indeed develop the invention. After losing the suit Edison offered Woods a job but Woods declined, wanting to go into business on his own. That lawsuit and the all-encompassing racial discrimination was a constant impediment for Woods. Racial roadblocks made it difficult for Woods to reach the fame and financial success that his white counter parts experienced. His train communication by voice over telegraph wires invention was an enormous success and Woods set up the Woods Electric Company in Cincinnati Ohio around 1887. He moved his company to New York City in 1890. Alexander Graham Bell purchased Woods’s second invention which improved telephone transmission. Woods used the money from Bell to devote himself to his own research. Woods sold some of his patents to companies such as General Electric and Westinghouse. He may have done this because it was so difficult for an African American to make money on inventions in a highly racists world. In many cases he was not paid fairly or given credit for his discoveries. Woods died in New York city in 1910 and his contributions forgotten by the public. Woods inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2006. As educators it is incumbent upon us to let our students know about previously obscure scientists and engineers such as Granville T. Woods.

Some other inventions:

Improved steam boiler furnace (1889)

Improve braking systems, air braking system (1902-05)

Patented 15 appliances for electric railways.

Power pick-up device in 1901 which is the foundation of the third rail in transit systems.

First Hybrid Electric Car (1916)

Resources:  

List of patents -https://patents.google.com/?inventor=granville+t+woods&oq=granville+t+woods

Story of his life –

https://www.businessinsider.com/granville-woods-black-inventor-thomas-edison-electricity-invention-telegraph-2023-11

Wikipedia entry - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granville_Woods

Mini documentary - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMjMhBxuBWg