 
The Black Edison
Granville Woods, born in Columbus in April 1856, was a
famous African-American inventor who received more than 60 patents for electrical and
other devices. He became known as the "Black Edison" due to the variety of his
inventions.
His inventions focused on the railroad industry
and on electricity flow. One of his inventions boosted railroad safety: a
system to gauge distance between trains which would alert the conductor prior to any impacts. Woods
attended school in Columbus, OH until age 10, and was then self taught either
through books or on-the-job training. He also attended night school.
He valued a good education and sought to expand his knowledge
in order to bring his inventions to fruition.
 Wood had a variety of jobs prior to dedicating
himself to
his inventions full time. He served as fireman and engineer on the
Danville and Southern Railroad in Missouri, he worked in a Missouri rolling mill,
and he also traveled east to work in a machine shop. Eventually he returned
to Ohio, settled in Cincinnati, and opened the Woods Electrical Company with his
brother. He succeeded in selling several inventions to large corporations
including American Bell
Telephone Company, General Electric, and Westinghouse Air Brake Company. In 1888 Woods patented
his
system for overhead electric conducting lines for railroads. This invention laid
the groundwork for rapid transit and trolley systems throughout the U.S.
Woods' Many Patents
Granville Woods was awarded more than 60 patents.
Among them:
- His first patent, for a Steam Boiler
Furnace, June 3, 1884
- Apparatus for Transmission of Messages by
Electricity, April 7, 1885
- Electro Mechanical Brake Apparatus , Oct.
18, 1887
- Galvanic Battery , Aug. 14, 1888
- Automatic Safety Cut-Out for Electric
Circuits, Oct. 14, 1890
- System of Electrical Distribution, Oct. 13,
1896
- Overhead Conducting System for Electric
Railway, May 29, 1888
- System of Electrical Control, April 15, 1902
- Motor Controlling Apparatus, April 15, 1902
- Safety Apparatus for Railways, Oct. 16, 1906
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