Gregory Szorc's blog

History at Our Doorstep: The First Traffic Signal and The Myth of Garrett Morgan

Waking up Friday morning, I heard something on the radio about the first traffic signal being installed in Cleveland-- at the intersection of E 105th and Euclid Av. no less! Who knew that an intersection I frequently pass through has historical significance!

When the radio broadcast made this reference to history, they made two claims 1) the traffic signal was the first in the US (they might have said world) and 2) that Garret Morgan invented the traffic signal. After consulting the WikiPedia, I can say that the latter assertion is completely FALSE.

• Garrett Morgan on WikiPedia
• Traffic Signal on WikiPedia
• Article about the traffic signal at E105th and Euclid
• Article about false claims on Garrett Morgan

It is apparant from these sources that Garrett Morgan's association with the traffic signal is completely blown out of proportion. The truth has been know for years now. Why do people still accept this falsehood? Perhaps it is ignorance of the truth. If so, then this article has enlightened you. However, if you look at a list of publications, many of the spreaders of this inaccuracy are "credible" news sources. Do reporters not check their facts anymore? I thought you were supposed to check and double check all facts in an article before publishing it.

The widespread nature of the myth that Garret Morgan invented the traffic signal is troubling on many fronts. I find it ironic that the WikiPedia, a reference that many criticize for its inability to assert itself as a trustworthy source is correct on this matter when so many other sources aren't.

You can ping this entry by using http://blog.case.edu/gps10/mt-tb.cgi/2110 .

And people still believe that everyone in Columbus' time thought the earth was flat. That myth is over one hundred years old, but it's still common. It's annoying, yes, but I wouldn't get all up-in-arms over it. It's certainly nothing new. People do check their facts, but if they check with a source that is incorrect, the myth gets promulgated anyways.

I think the myth dates back to the civil rights era, when people were searching for examples of influential black professionals to hold up as heroes. By that time the earliest traffic light pioneers were safely off the scene and mostly forgotten. Blacks and sympathetic whites saw Garret Morgan's traffic signal patent as proof that African Americans are responsible for one of the most common and recognizable fixtures of our modern world. Few understood that there were, or even could be, earlier patents for traffic lights.

It is easy to see why the falsehood lasted so long. With Garret Morgan "inventing" the traffic light, there would be a highly visible symbol of black ingenuity on the street corners of every neighborhood. Because the myth had such inspirational value, and because of the racial sensitivities involved, those who doubted the advertised achievements of Morgan probably kept their mouths shut.

Well, maybe you should research more about Traffic Lights history. In fact, wasn´t Garret the inventor of the mechanism, but he is maybe, the first one that was clever enought to patent it. He sold his "invent" in $40.000, to General Electric, so, he makes selling traffic lights a profitable business, isn't it???

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The Rolling Stones cancel a gig in Hawaii and postpone other tour dates as Mick Jagger suffers throat troubles...

please post pictures of a traffic light on this page.