Black Inventors and Scientists

Granville T. Woods - In honor of Black History Month

by the Black Student Union and National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)

During his lifetime, Granville Woods obtained some 50 patents, including one for an incubator which was the forerunner of present machines capable of hatching 50,000 eggs at a time. Born in Columbus, Ohio, Woods studied mechanical engineering. In 1878, Woods became an engineer aboard the Ironsides, a British steamer, and within two years was handling a steam locomotive on the D&S Railroad.

In 1887, Woods patented the most advanced of his many inventions ---the Synchronous Multiplex Railway Telegraph. This device was designed to avert accidents by keeping each train informed of the whereabouts of the train immediately ahead or following it by enabling communication between stations from moving trains.

Woods marketed this product, and others which followed, through his own company. A perusal of the patent files in Washington, D.C., shows Woods to have been an extremely prolific inventor. In the 20-year span between 1879 and 1899, no less than 23 separate inventions bear his name. In 1887 alone, he registered seven separate inventions with the Patent Office, all of them connected with the ingenious railway communications system he devised. Woods died in New York City. Even though he is gone, his inventions are still used today.

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