Granville T. Woods: Inventor of the Synchronous Multiplex Railway Telegraph Written by: Caheija Redway For my presentation, I have chosen to do the following strides on the great Granville T Woods, an inventor, innovator, mechanic and electrical engineer. Introduction The media has helped in our present-day to recognize the Black history and Black excellence further undeniably. Often in schools, media, in our communities, Black people are depicted as less than and belittle across different parts of society. Their contribution to our society and economy are overlooked and ignored in STEM fields and beyond. It is essential to recognize the history and contribution of former Black innovators and ancestors as many have made our lives easier to this day. From the iron boards we use to stop lights on most street intersections, telecommunication, to the first and the subsequent U.S. crewed spaceflight’s success. For this project, I was unsure of where to start and which innovator to choose. Because of this difficulty, I found it slightly hard to begin my presentation. I had already gathered an idea and a picture of “who” I was looking for in order to do a well-done presentation. I was also looking for a new face, someone that not many of us had heard news about, seen in our history classes, or came across while celebrating other innovators throughout our time or Black historians who helped contribute to our present economy. Thankful and lucky enough, I found and built a new knowledge on who was said to be one of and if not the greatest innovator of all time, Mr. Gransville Woods. Who is Granville Woods? Mr. Woods was an African American-born individual who later grew up to be one of history's well- recognized Black inventors. He was known by many as the "Black Edison," another well-known inventor and businessman known as history's greatest inventor. Mr. Woods was self-taught on most skills, which helped him perform incredibly well in the making of trains and streetcars. Mr. Woods was the first Black American mechanical and electrical engineer after the American Civil War in the years 1861-65. He was said to have some native blood-related in Australia on his mothers' side. Mr. Woods would often use this information and tell people to seem "foreign" to procure others' respect, particularly for being a black male in his time. In his lifetime of 54 years, Mr. Woods had obtained nearly or exactly 60 patents in the United States alone. For those of you who are not familiar, as I was not, Patents are a government authority or license conferring a right or title for a set period, especially the sole right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention. A patent gives an inventor the right to the benefits of commercialization of their invention. Early Life Not much information was available with regards to Mr. Woods early life. He was born on April 23, 1856, in Columbus, Ohio, to parents Martha J. Brown and Cyrus Woods and had a brother, Lyates Woods. At 10 years old, Mr. Woods had to leave school early due to family issues and poverty. He started working at that young age in mechanic shops, where he learned the business in blacksmith and mechanics that later inspired him to return to school and study electrical and mechanical engineering. Before settling off to follow in his career, Mr. Smith worked as a fireman, mechanic and shoveled coal on trains. Career and Education Unproven that Mr.Woods has any documents suggesting that he completed his high school diploma. However, there is a possibility that he had continued in night schooling; however, he did spend time studying in college. As discussed before, Mr. Woods spent his early life working. In 1872, at 16 years old, Mr. Wood's occupation was a fireman. In the winter period of December 1874, Mr. Woods decided to move to Springfield, Illinois, to work at the Springfield Iron Works at a rolling mill. Mr. Woods further extended his studies for two years in the mechanical and electrical engineering program from 1876-1878. There is no evidence that proves he obtained his college degree. Still, that did not stop him from making history as many identified him as "professor" and "the greatest of negro inventors." In 1878 he worked at "Ironsides" steamer and was promoted to the Chief Engineer role within 2 years. He then returned home to work as an engineer with the Dayton and SW Railroad and later opened his business, Woods Electric Co. I feel as if I can relate to Mr. Woods when I say that there is no place he hasn't been, always on the next voyage. Not limited by his environment, Mr. Woods made another move to broaden himself and spread his name in New York City. He travelled alongside his brother, Lyates Woods, to make several other inventions together. The Struggles One of the greatest hardships Woods faced as a youth was leaving school and entering the work force at a young age. While it is, who is to say Mr. Woods had not enjoyed getting an early start in the experience of the career he later pursued, while working to help provide for his family. His adulthood, however, had much more bumps. Being a Black man of his time, Mr. Woods faced plenty of discrimination, a couple of which were documented; however many were likely not captured. Mr. Wood was born nine years before the abolishment of slavery in 1865. Slavery being abolished had not changed the hearts and minds of those that held the oppression over Black people. Mr. Woods faced discrimination in his workplaces that later motivated him to open his own business, Woods Electric Co. Although slavery was abolished, discriminatory laws and segregation practices were long away from change. Mr. Woods had vicious encounters with a few Louisville and Nashville (L&N) Railroad employees, where he suffered an "unmercifully beaten. He purchased a first-class ticket on the L&N from Cincinnati to Nashville. Upon arriving in Louisville, the crew "objected to a coloured man riding through the South in first-class style, and attempted to remove him from the car." When Woods resisted, the crew beat him ("A Colored Man's Rights," Cincinnati Post, June 25, 1888, p. 4)." Schlipp, John. Lastly, he also battled with other inventors trying to take credit for his work and ideas. Thomas Edison was one of those same inventors who tried to benefit from Granville's work. Mr. Woods had taken Mr. Edison to court twice and won both trials, as he showed evidence of dates and drawings of his works. Mr. Edison, in the end, even tried to hire Mr. Woods to work for this company, which Mr. Woods respectfully declined. Inventions It is clear that Mr. Granville T.Woods spent most of his time tinkering with other great inventors, “failed” or “not so ready” creations such as telephone, phonograph, egg incubator, railway systems, and more. A few of his own like the automatic brakes and “telegraphony,” a combination of the telephone and telegraph. Mr. Woods patented this equipment in the year 1885. The goal was to allow telegraph stations to send voices and telegraph messages (a text and voice message basically) over one singular wire. However, he sold this creation to Alexander Graham Bell, who is the creator of the telephone. Steve Jobs, who? The action of selling most to every single one of his creations was quite typical of Mr. Woods. Who is to answer why? Unsure. He patented the greatest of all his creations, the Synchronous Multiplex Railway Telegraph. The Synchronous Multiplex Railway Telegraph was a device used to communicate between train stations and moving trains. Using a magnetic field and a coiled wire under the trains, the telegraph increases critical communications speed and prevents train accidents and errors. Today we can thank Mr. Woods for his creation that has allowed us to track where trains are heading, thereby preventing unnecessary collisions. That is not all there was - in 1884 he discovered a way of using a steam boiler to heat homes. To properly hear word for word through telephones, Mr. Woods also invented a telephone transmitter to help just that. In 1896, ahead of his time, Mr. Woods created a system known as the "safety dimmer" used in theatres. It was economically safe and efficient and saved 40% of electrical use, which assisted in keeping our environment safe. While other inventors and businesses were looking for ways to make money at any risk to the environment, Mr. Woods took into consideration safety and health first. Mr.Woods was given credit to the airbrake for trains as he made his adjustments. However, George Westinghouse had patented the airbrake 40 years prior. His devotion to his work throughout his years is undeniable. It is his greatest inventions that contributed to America's railroads' safety. Accomplishments To name a few, Woods sold numerous of his inventions to several companies, including the American Bell Telephone Company and the General Electric Company. By the time of his death on July 30, 1910, Woods had received more than sixty patents. Although he sold and improved most of his other inventions, his DNA, style, and genius shine through and he is recognized for his works. Mr.Woods received his first patent in 1884 at the age of 28 for the steam Boiler furnaces as an electrical engineer in Cincinnati. By the time he had passed, Woods had created 15 inventions contributing to electric railways during his lifetime.