Inspired by Granville T. Woods

Granville Tailer Woods (April 23, 1856 – January 30, 1910) was an African-American inventor, electrical engineer, and mechanical engineer who held more than 50 patents. Self-taught, he concentrated most of his work on trains and streetcars. He mastered the trades of machinist and blacksmith, and after working as a railroad fireman and engineer, he took college courses in electrical and mechanical engineering from 1876-1878. He served as engineer on the British steamer Ironsides in 1878, and later settled in Ohio. His first patent was for a steam boiler furnace in 1884. A year later, he also patented a telephone transmitter, which was bought by Bell Telephone. He then founded the Woods Electric Company in New York City, which manufactured and sold the telephone, telegraph, and electrical instruments. One of his notable inventions was the Multiplex Telegraph, a device that sent messages between train stations and moving trains. His work guaranteed a safer and better public transportation system for the cities of the United States.