Harden Elkington
The invention of the traffic lights is one of the most important inventions of all time.
Without this invention, there would be an innumerable number of car accidents on roads around the world.
Imagine how different our lives would be without this invention!
There are so many rules and laws that prescribe how drivers must act within certain boundaries.
But let’s not get carried away.
We will discuss this invention thoroughly and later, we will let you know how we researched this invention.
Let’s start with some background information about the invention of traffic lights and their history.
Who invented the traffic lights?
Some invention authors believe that the invention of traffic lights could be accredited to one man. His name was Lester Wire and he invented these traffic lights in 1912.
In reality, this invention has been made by several inventors, but it is generally misconceived to be an invention of one person only. The credit for the invention goes to many other inventors, the most important of them being Garrett Morgan.
The invention of traffic lights is generally attributed to Lester Wire in 1912.
However, this invention has been made by several inventors before Wire was involved in this invention.
Lester Wire was born on September 17th, 1885 in Walkerton Indiana.
His invention of the traffic lights in 1912 is also his most important invention.
Garrett Morgan was born in 1877 in Paris, Kentucky. He was an inventor and a businessman who is mostly known for his invention of the gas mask.
The invention of the gas mask has saved thousands of lives during World War I. As if this wasn’t enough, he has also invented the traffic signal, too.
Evidence suggests that he was inspired by Lester Wire’s invention of the traffic lights and he wanted to upgrade this invention after seeing it.
As a result, Garrett Morgan patented his invention in 1923 under US patent 1,475,024. His invention has adapted several technological advances over time and this invention is still widely used nowadays.
In 1923, Garrett Morgan patented his invention of the traffic lights. As a result, he became the most important inventor of this invention.
His invention has changed a bit since it was first introduced in 1923, but it is still widely used nowadays and its basic structure remains the same.
Garrett Morgan’s invention includes several elements that are meant to enhance the invention of the traffic lights.
First of all, Morgan’s invention includes a third color apart from red and green. The new invention was yellow, which is meant to be used when the traffic light is about to change its color or it is about to become green.
Thus, drivers can slow down their speed in order to make it safely through the intersection before the light changes.
In 1938, the invention of traffic lights was equipped with a countdown timer as well. The invention included arrows that were meant to point out which direction has priority over the other and also how long drivers had until the color changed again.
The invention of traffic lights became much easier to understand over time. But this invention is still widely used nowadays.
It has helped reduce the number of car accidents significantly by improving the overall design and making it more efficient than years before.
This invention has also made it possible to manage traffic flow easily and safely throughout all kinds of weather conditions.
How did the traffic light invention evolve?
So far we have discussed what invention this invention was and how it has evolved and improved over time. It is now time to discuss the invention of the traffic lights in detail – what its basic structure looks like and how it works.
The invention of traffic lights consists of three main colors – red, yellow and green.
Red is meant to warn drivers that the light is about to switch its color. It is also used as a stop signal for vehicles before they are allowed to drive safely through the intersection again.
Yellow is meant to inform drivers that this invention is about to change its color.
Green is meant to inform drivers that this invention is about to change its color and it can be safely driven through.
Today, the invention of traffic lights is equipped with arrows and timers of different kinds in order to enhance its basic structure. The invention was first designed by Garrett Morgan in 1923 and it has changed ever since then.
When was the invention of traffic lights patented?
The invention of traffic lights had to go through several steps before it became a necessity on roads all around the world. Because this invention has been made by many inventors, there wasn’t one single patent for this invention as such.
However, the invention of traffic lights has been patented on March 25th, 1923. Garrett Morgan was the first inventor to patent this invention under US Patent 1,475,024.
Since then, there have been several additional patents that have modified the invention of traffic lights into its current state.
It is still unknown who invented the first invention of traffic lights, but there is ample evidence that this invention has been a collective invention of many inventors.
- See also: the history of vehicle license plates
- See also: The history of how coffee discovered
How did we research the invention of Traffic Lights?
We used several reliable sources to write this article about invention. It was not an easy invention to research because it is generally misconceived that there was only one invention of traffic lights made by one person.
We managed to narrow down our list of reliable sources by searching for the invention on several internet forums and later, we wanted to check if this invention had been patented before.
This was actually quite easy, but the invention has also changed over the decades, so the invention of traffic lights has been patented several times.
All in all, we think that this invention is very important because it helped us to develop new technologies that are now part of our everyday lives.
In conclusion, the invention of traffic lights is a very important invention for our society because it has decreased the number of car accidents on roads all around the world.
