Granville t woods biography essay

After the lawsuit and the offer, Granville Woods was known as Black Edison. In , after opening his own company in Cincinnati, he patented an improved version of a steam boiler. After this, Woods patented an improved telephone transmitter, which he sold to Alexander Graham Bell. Later, Woods invented an overhead conducting system for trolleys. This invention made it so that instead of steam power, trolleys ran on an electrical current.

He named this invention the troller. In , after moving back to New York City, Woods created a power pick-up device for trains. This was essentially the third rail used on train tracks today. In , Woods manufactured a system of overhead electric conducting lines for railroads modeled after the system pioneered by Charles van Depoele , [ 23 ] a famed inventor who had by then installed his electric railway system in thirteen United States cities.

Grant declared that all wires, many of which powered the above-ground rail system, had to be removed and buried, emphasizing the need for an underground system. Once the train car had passed over, the wires were no longer live, reducing the risk of injury. The company had provided funds for Woods to market the invention, but a crucial component of the invention was missing from the deal, which the manager of the company, James S.

Zerbe, later stole. Woods is also sometimes credited with the invention of the air brake for trains in ; however, George Westinghouse patented the air brake almost 40 years prior, making Woods's contribution an improvement to the invention. Although the newspapers of his day generally referred to him as a bachelor, [ 9 ] Woods was married to Ada Woods, who was granted a divorce from him in due to adultery.

Granville t woods biography essay

In , the Kansas City American Citizen described Woods as an articulate, well-spoken man who was meticulous in his style of clothing and preferred to dress in black. In his day, Black newspapers [ which? Woods died of a cerebral hemorrhage at Harlem Hospital in New York City on January 30, , having sold a number of his devices to such companies as Westinghouse , General Electric, and American Engineering.

Woods was interred at St. Michael's Cemetery in Elmhurst, Queens in an unmarked grave. Historian M. Harris helped raise funds, persuading several of the corporations that used Woods's inventions to donate money in order to purchase a headstone, which was erected at Woods's gravesite in Woods scholarship in memory of the inventor.

In , the New York City Transit Authority organized an exhibition on Woods that utilized bus and train depots and an issue of four million MetroCards commemorating the inventor's work on third rail electrification. Woods Way to honor Woods. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version.

In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikidata item. American inventor — Illustration of Woods, c. Columbus, Ohio , United States. New York City , United States. Early life [ edit ]. Career [ edit ]. Inventions [ edit ]. Personal life [ edit ]. Death and legacy [ edit ]. Notes [ edit ]. Phelps — , the American chemist, bacteriologist and sanitation expert.

References [ edit ]. Already have a WordPress. Log in now. Loading Comments Email Required Name Required Website. We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! Frederick Jones. Lonnie Johnson. Lewis Howard Latimer. Patricia Bath. Garrett Morgan. George Washington Carver. Madam C. Sarah Boone.