Inventor-Granville T Woods

Background On April 23rd, 1856 a baby boy was born in Columbus Ohio. That boy’s name was Granville T. Woods. Granville grew up in a disadvantaged childhood home. He was only able to be formally educated up to the age of 10, all education that followed was self taught or learned from experience. People had called him “The Black Edison” because he was almost identical Edison. Edison had been in one of the same situations as Granville, a disadvantaged childhood home. After he was done in his early steps of life he moved on in his education. He had taken interest in the electrical and mechanical engineering fields at an East Coast College from 1876 to 1878. Further education was given to him in the form of his co-workers. They had given him information that he hadn’t already known and he paid them to rent books from the library for him because African-Americans weren’t allowed in the libraries. He also went to night classes and took private lessons. Throughout his life he had many jobs that led him to being an inventor. His first job was an apprentice in a machine shop; there he had repaired railroad equipment such as track, lights, bridges, and anything else that goes with the railroad. His second job was a fireman, a job he had gained from the Apprentice. Here, he was the fireman of D&S Railroads in Missouri, which led him into his next job. In 1878, he became an engineer on a British steamer known as Ironsides. He was then promoted to the chief engineer. This lead into the start of a business he and his brother Lyates ran. It was called the Woods Railway Telegraph Co. It simply made electrical telephone and telegraph equipment for the railroad industry. By the end of Granville’s life he had had many achievements. First off he had had 60 patents, 35 which were of electrical systems and 15 electric railways. He also invented 15 appliances for the railway as well. Out of the many inventions that he had invented the most important one was the Multiplex Railway Telegraph. This discovery was built to help reduce railway accidents by letting dispatchers communicate where they are at so they don’t collide. This was also the first time they were able to communicate with each other. This particular invention was so helpful Granville found himself fighting patent suits with none other than Thomas Edison. Although Granville had won in the end. This invention has changed lives in the many ways below. This telegraph has changed and saved many peoples lives. People then could feel safe having to travel by train, when there weren’t many other ways. Also, this factor told everyone that there could be more people going out to be railroad conductors because they wouldn’t have to worry about getting killed in the process. Finally families would feel safer letting their loved ones travel by train. In the end, Granville had a very successful life although he had died poor.
Success Factors How exactly did Granville T. Woods gain his fame? Well for one, everyone had called him the “Black Edison.” Secondly, he was the first inventor to create such a thing as the Multiplex Railway Telegraph which hit it big because it was the first thing that allowed dispatchers to communicate back and forth about their locations. Lastly, he had over 60 patents and had himself fighting patent pursuits with Thomas Edison himself. Also, he came from a disadvantaged childhood, not only that but he pushed himself to take extra classes and read books because he was only allowed to attend school until he was 10. He has gained the following attributes from his famousness. The first is creativity. He gained this through the many inventions that he created were quite interesting and anyone could tell how creative he was by these inventions. The second was that he had diverse job experience. By this he had been able to work at countless jobs and learn from them, especially how he had gone into studying one of the fields (electrical and mechanical engineering) in night school, books, and through co-workers. I think that if anyone would research Granville anyone would see how his inventions have these attributes. He also gained education through diverse job experience and the fact that he didn’t take the job that Edison offered him, a very major job. I have realized all these attributes through reading about him in biographies, I may not have them all, or what anyone thinks should be on here, but this is my opinion on Granville and what he had.

My Life At this present moment I have many, many goals. My first goal is to do better in school. By this I mean up my grades in the classes I do poorly in. My second goal is to make honor roll at least once before I leave Washington to go to high school. My third goal is to help more around my house as in clean up messes that I make, do anything that im told to do when I get told to do it, and lastly be better toward my sister, because as everyone knows siblings can be a pain in the neck. I can accomplish these goals by doing many tasks. For my first goal, I can accomplish this by being more creative when it comes to homework, projects, and papers. I can also study more for upcoming tests that I am not sure about. Then when needed take the time to write everything the teacher writes on the board when they introduce us to something new and if I don’t understand the specific area we are working in to ask for help. Also, do all my homework when its due, I do turn in my homework, but only a couple times I have had late papers. For my second goal, I can push harder and harder in the classes I am not doing to well in to get the grades I need to make honor roll. I can also spend more time on my homework instead of doing other tasks or just messing around. For my third goal I can do everything when I am told to do, I shouldn’t procrastinate. Another part of my third goal that I need to accomplish would be my bedroom; I can clean up everything even if it’s not mine instead of arguing with my sister about picking her toys and clothes up. For the last part of my third goal, my little sister, I can calm down and try to figure out what needs to be done, instead of the constant arguing. My inventor has some attributes that can help me with accomplishing my goals. His first was Education, that can help me in the way that when I think about how short some people had very little if any schooling, and in his case he was only able to attend school up to age 10, but now anyone attend school for however long anyone wanted to, and the fact with that little bit of schooling he became an inventor. His attribute of diverse job experience does fit in a specific way, I look at it and say well I haven’t had any jobs but I have belonged to many different clubs, and although his jobs lead him up to the decision that he wanted to become an inventor. I have been in builders club and this club helps people so maybe that is why I want to be a pediatrician when I grow up. Finally, with his creative attribute, it can help me with the cleaning section because I hate cleaning and I can turn it into something that would really be fun. I think that this inventor can help accomplish or improve my goals quicker and in a creative way.