BAY CITY, Mich. -- Could you imagine how chaotic driving would be without turn signals or traffic lights? Neither can we! The automotive industry and the way we drive today would be incredibly different had it not been for the innovative work of the many African-American inventors and engineers throughout history.
This Black History Month, we at Graff Bay City would like to share with you their stories, and their contributions to American automotive innovation!
1. C.R. PATTERSON
Born into slavery in West Virginia in 1833 and later escaping to Ohio in 1862, C.R. Patterson is credited with both founding the first and only African-American owned automobile company, as well as building cars in the United States even before Henry Ford!
Upon his arrival in Greenfield, Ohio, Patterson found work as a blacksmith and partnered with a local-carriage builder by the name of J.P. Lowe. When Lowe died in 1883, C.R. took over their business and renamed it the "C.R. Patterson & Sons Company", which offered 28 kinds of horse-drawn vehicles and employed over a dozen workers. He also experimented with manufacturing gas-powered "horseless carriages" during this time - putting him 10 years ahead of the development of the Ford Quadricycle (Henry's first successful self-propelled vehicle).
When Patterson died in 1910, his son Frederick carried on his father's work, shifting the focus of the company completely to automobiles. The first official offering named the "Patterson-Greenfield" rolled off the line in 1915, which sold for $850 and by many accounts was considered superior to the Ford Model T released seven years prior. Unfortunately, the Patterson Company was unable to compete with Ford's assembly line and was soon overtaken. C.R. Patterson's contributions to automotive innovation, however, are certainly not forgotten.
2. ED WELBURN
Spending a great deal of his childhood in his father's body shop, Ed Welburn knew from the very beginning that he wanted to pursue a career in the auto industry. Inspired by a visit to the 1960 Philadelphia Auto Show at the tender age of ten, he found his calling in the area of design and was hired in at General Motors eleven years later becoming the first African-American car designer.
During his nearly 50-year tenure, Welburn has overseen the design of numerous vehicles including the 2010 Buick Lacrosse, 2010 Chevrolet Camaro, Chevrolet Malibu, Cadillac CTS, and Buick Enclave.
3. GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER
Most people know George Washington Carver as being the man behind peanut butter, but his contributions to science and technology extend far beyond the salty-sweet spread - particularly in the automotive industry. A world-famous botanist in his day, Carver's research into sustainable, plant-based alternatives for industrial products caught the eye of none other than Henry Ford. Through their close collaboration, the two developed a substitute rubber compound for tires using goldenrod (a plant weed) and also helped to further research into alternative bio-fuels like ethanol.
4. RICHARD SPIKES
Born in San Francisco in 1884, not much is known about Richard Spikes as a person. Although, his impact on the automotive industry is legendary, as we have him to thank for many innovations that are now the standard in our everyday lives. These include the turn signal, automatic car wash, automatic gear shifter, and a safety brake system used on buses and trucks nationwide.
5. GARRETT MORGAN
Back in the early 1920s, traffic lights only had two colors: green and red. On top of that, they were notoriously unpredictable, suddenly changing and only giving drivers virtually no time to react, resulting in a ton of accidents. That was until Garrett Morgan, sitting in traffic behind a particularly nasty collision, had an idea: an interim "warning" signal that let drivers know that they should be prepared to clear the intersection before crossing traffic enters it. In 1924, he patented the three-position traffic light that we use today, equipped with that yellow "warning" signal, effectively making roads across the United States that much safer.
Hank Graff Chevy is located at 3636 Wilder Road, Bay City, MI 48706 and we are here to help our community grow to become an even better place to call home! For more information on Hank Graff Chevrolet, or for any questions call us at (989) 684-4411 or visit our website: www.GraffBayCity.com.
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