Now in paperback. The inspirational story of African-American inventor
Garrett Morgan, whose incredible safety hood became the forerunner to
the gas mask that saved thousands of soldiers in the trenches of World
War I.
The son of freed slaves, Garrett Morgan was determined to have a better
life than laboring in the Kentucky fields with his parents and ten
siblings. He began by sweeping floors in a clothing factory in
Cleveland, Ohio, where he decided to invent a stronger belt for sewing
machines. When he was promoted to sewing-machine repairman, Garrett was
on his way. In 1911, 146 workers died in the shocking Triangle
Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City, so Garrett decided to invent a
safety hood for firefighters. Little did he know that most people
wouldn't be interested in buying his safety hood when they discovered
its inventor was black. But an explosion that trapped workers in a
tunnel under Lake Erie soon changed all that. Garrett's hoods were
rushed to the scene and used to rescue as many men as possible.
Developed further, Garrett's invention came to save thousands of
soldiers from chlorine gas in the trenches of World War I.