Not long after the first traffic light was seen in London, the world started to develop rapidly. Furthermore, with the invention of automobiles, the traffic on the roads increased significantly, so there was a need for a better traffic system. LOC. Henry Ford’s “a car in every driveway” made new traffic control almost inevitable. In 1919, a Cleveland teacher invented a game to teach children how to recognize traffic signals, and today, kids still play a version of it, Red Light, Green Light. Long before motorcars, chaotic crowds made … Invention of The Traffic Light. Garrett Morgan was also granted a U.S. patent for an inexpensive-to-produce traffic signal. Morgan’s original traffic signal prototype is on display at the Smithsonian’s American History Museum.. Aside from his technical contributions to society, Morgan was a pillar in Cleveland’s African American community. There are two types of traffic lights. The First Traffic Light Invented – The History of Traffic Signals from London Explosions to Motor City, USA 1860’s: Traffic Lights Start with a Bang in London. The Inventor of the Traffic Light William L. Potts. Traffic Light Definition: A road signal for directing vehicular traffic by means of colored lights, typically red for … In 1912, an American policeman, Lester Wire, who was concerned with the increasing traffic, came up with the idea of the first electric traffic light. The inventor died in 1886 and was buried in London's Brompton Cemetery. Garrett Morgan was a groundbreaker for African American inventors with his patents, he invented many including hair straightening product, a breathing device, a revamped sewing machine and an excellent traffic signal. They usually refer to signal lights that are composed of red, yellow, and green (green is blue and green) lights that are used to direct traffic. In 1866, a year in which 1102 people were killed and 1334 injured on roads in London, John Peake Knight proposed a signalling system based on railway signals. He was born in 1877 on March 4 and died in 1963 on July 27. Inventors set about trying to design new traffic lights, and there were U.S. Ford imagines a future where stopping at traffic lights and junctions is … Industrialization gave way to overcrowded cities, innovation, and even the invention of automobiles. With increased people and traffic, there needed to be a better traffic system to control it. Garrett Morgan was an inventor and businessman from Cleveland who invented a device called the Morgan safety hood and smoke protector in 1914. Photo of Inventor Garrett Morgan. Patents issued in 1918 and 1919 to two different inventors. Garrett Augustus Morgan, Sr. was an African-American inventor, businessman, and a community leader. In 1912, an American policeman, Lester Wire, who was concerned with the increasing traffic, came up with the idea of the first electric traffic light . Peake Knight is credited with inventing the original traffic light in 1868. One to James Hoge of Cleveland, Ohio who invented a two color red green electric traffic light. Traffic jams are to city living what toast and jam is to breakfast. Furthermore, with the invention of automobiles, the traffic on the roads increased significantly, so there was a need for a better traffic system. In essence, he had invented the yellow light. The ones shown to motor vehicles are called motor vehicle lights. On November 20, 1923 Morgan was awarded a patent for a three-position traffic signal.