Today in Technology History
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April 23
Today we discuss the remarkable story of Granville T. Woods, who was born in Columbus, Ohio on April 23, 1856. Almost forgotten today, Woods was a talented inventor with about 50 patents to his name.
Woods received both public and private schooling, and worked as an apprentice in a machine shop. He then studied engineering, and served on railroads and aboard a steam ship before settling in Cincinnati.
Starting in 1884, Woods obtained dozens of patents for new inventions and improvements upon existing inventions -- most involving electricity. He patented an incubator for chicken eggs, new designs for telephone transmitters and galvanic batteries, and an electric toy race-car set. He and his brother started the Woods Electric Company to market the inventions.
One-third of his inventions were related to electric railways, and he helped develop two of the principal means of powering electric trains: overhead conducting lines and the "third rail" system.
By far, Woods's most important invention was the "induction telegraph system," which allowed "electric communication between two moving railway trains." For the first time, vehicles in motion could communicate over great distances. What's more, it was at last possible to know where on the tracks a train actually was at all times.
While Woods is significant for his creative output and his electro-mechanical skill, his story is truly remarkable because of one further fact: he was a black American, in an age when it was exceedingly difficult to be a black businessman and inventor.
Woods died in 1910.
Related links:
Click here to read a biography of Granville Woods.
Click here to see a list of patents issued to Woods.
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