Unveiling the Genius: Top 11 Fun Facts About Granville T. Woods You Never Knew

1. Dumbledore of High-tech Hogwarts

If Thomas Edison was the "Wizard of Menlo Park," then Granville T. Woods was certainly the Dumbledore of High-tech Hogwarts: a tremendously ingenious inventor nicknamed "Black Edison," he held over 50 patents for revolutionary devices like steam boiler furnaces, electric railway systems, and even a fantastical amusement apparatus.
Source => brooklynrail.net

2. Champion of Patents Quashed

Before the internet came along and made it a piece of cake to snag someone else's intellectual property, there was only one man who deserved the title "Champion of Patents Quashed": Granville T. Woods: Known as the "Black Edison," Woods had over 50 patents including the telegraphony and the third rail, which revolutionized transport and communication. Despite competitors like Thomas Edison trying to steal his work, he fought back and won in court. Today, he's honored with a street corner named after him in Coney Island.
Source => coneyislandhistory.org

Discover the surprising connection between Elias Howe's sewing machine invention and a spider's web-spinning technique, which led to a complex legal battle for patent royalties. 🕷️🧵

=> Fun Facts about Elias-Howe

3. Train Mail Pioneer

Who needs telegrams when you've got train mail: Granville T. Woods' induction telegraph invention enabled communication between moving trains and railway stations for the first time, reducing accidents and turning train rides into the safe chugging worthy of any old-timey classic!
Source => invent.org

4. Courtroom Drama with Edison

In a shocking twist of events worthy of a daytime courtroom drama, Granville T. Woods found himself battling the unrivaled "father of invention," Thomas Edison, over a mysterious telegraph system: In a stunning victory, Mr. Woods successfully proved in court that his ingenious device was not only original but also taking innovation to a whole new level, leaving Edison's claim in the dust.
Source => rhapsodyinbooks.wordpress.com

5. Magic School Bus Mastermind

Who needs a magic school bus when you've got Granville T. Woods? This ingenious fellow might have just had the Hogwarts Express running on time: Granville T. Woods established a company in Cincinnati, Ohio to manufacture and sell his revolutionary inventions, including the railway telegraph, induction telegraph, and automatic air brake for railroad cars – securing his place in history as one of the first African American businessmen in the United States.
Source => invent.org

6. Instagram-less Entrepreneur

Despite having the world's worst luck while trying to set up an Instagram profile that just wouldn't load - mainly because it was the 19th century - Granville T. Woods still excelled in his entrepreneurial pursuits: He not only spearheaded his own inventive company, Woods Electric Co, but also united forces with his equally inventive brother, conquering the electrifying world from Cincinnati to New York City.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

7. Electrifying New Sheriff

Step aside, Thomas Edison, there's a new sheriff in town, and he's electrifyingly innovative: Granville T. Woods, dubbed the "Black Edison," held nearly 60 patents including advancements in telephones and the multiplex telegraph, and invented a groundbreaking method for regulating electric motors, reducing both resistance and energy loss. Despite facing racial discrimination, Woods and his brother powered through and started the Woods Railway Telegraph Company in 1884, guiding their own genius all the way.
Source => nypl.org

8. Light Bulb of Innovation

"If Thomas Edison was the light bulb of innovation, then Granville T. Woods was its energetic filament, igniting inventions with unstoppable passion": This "Black Edison" held over 50 patents including the Synchronous Multiplex Railway Telegraph and the electric railway system, all without completing formal schooling and instead opting for apprenticeships, practical experience, and unfaltering determination to attain success.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

9. Conductor of Lightning-Speed Inventions

Step aside, Thomas Edison, there's a new conductor in town: Granville T. Woods, the "Black Edison," shocked the world with his electrifying inventions like the Synchronous Multiplex Railway Telegraph, allowing trains and stations to chit-chatter through magnetic fields. Besides making railway gossip possible, our charismatic wizard lit up theaters with his efficient "safety dimmer" method, saving up to 40% of electricity use, and gave underground trains some extra juice by optimizing the third rail systems. Zap! That's Innovation at lightning speed!
Source => en.wikipedia.org

10. Unsung Hero Strikes Lightning

In a world where Edison reigns supreme, one unsung hero dared to strike lightning: Granville T. Woods, also known as the "Black Edison", earned 27 patents between 1884 and 1903 for his electrifying inventions, outshining legal challenges from Thomas Edison himself. His magnum opus, the Synchronous Multiplex Railway Telegraph, revolutionized rail communication, and he even powered up his entrepreneurial spirit by founding the Woods Electric Company in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Source => blackpast.org

11. Time-Traveling Wizard of Engineering

Who needs a flux capacitor when you've got a "Black Edison"? Granville T. Woods, a real-life time-traveling wizard of mechanical and electrical engineering, was your man back in the day: With over 50 patents under his belt, Woods was known for inventions like the Synchronous Multiplex Railway Telegraph, and sold his genius contraptions to companies such as Westinghouse, General Electric, and American Engineering, further revolutionizing telegraphs, telephones, phonographs, and more.
Source => en.wikipedia.org