Cleveland People		6 / 10

Both the gas mask and traffic light originated in Cleveland, thanks to the ingenuity of Garrett Augustus Morgan.

Morgan came to Cleveland in 1895 when he was in his 20s. He opened shops to sell and repair sewing machines, manufacture clothes and market hair-care products. Aside from running businesses, Morgan spent his time inventing.

His "Breathing Device" received a patent in 1914 after Morgan showed its importance during the 1916 Cleveland Waterworks explosion. Wearing his invention, Morgan entered the gas-filled tunnel under Lake Erie to rescue workers and retrieve bodies. The "Breathing Device" evolved into the gas mask used in World War I.

Another invention of Morgan's was the traffic light. After receiving a patent in 1923 for the creation, Morgan sold his traffic light to General Electric Company for $40,000.

Morgan also was active in Cleveland's black community, founding the Cleveland Call, a weekly newspaper published in the 1920s. He also helped start the Cleveland Association of Colored Men and established the Wakeman Country Club for blacks only.

Although he suffered from vision loss later in life, he continued inventing. In 1961 he introduced a cigarette pellet to prevent fire if the smoker fell asleep with the cigarette burning.