James Thurber wrote The Dog that Bit People<\/em>, a story\nthat makes me laugh not the least because I recognize in the illustrations of\nthe grumpy dog as my kind of dog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The story I want to tell is about Garret Augustus Morgan,\nwho was born 1877 and became a very influential inventor. He left school after\n6th<\/sup> grade, and went on to invent an award-winning smoke hood that helped\nfire fighters save lives. He got a medal and was made an honorary member of International\nAssociation of Fire Engineers. This invention was so effective it was used by\nthe military in WW1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n About that time automobile traffic was becoming a thing, so\nhe patented the green-yellow-red traffic lights so people could have some time\nto slow down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These are some impressive, practical, and ingenious inventions.\nThey have dramatically saved lives since they arrived. <\/p>\n\n\n\n They were not, however, the source of his commercial success.\nGarrett Morgan was black, the son of slaves. Because of bigotry, some people refused\nto buy his life saving smoke hood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But his blackness gave him insight into a need that had not yet\nbeen addressed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And this is where the dog comes in. Wait for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He was working on another invention in 1905– a liquid that\nwould help smooth sewing machine needles so they wouldn\u2019t catch on the fabric. He noticed the chemical had another property: It\ncould straighten hair. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As the story goes, he took this liquid and tested it on an Airedale.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, I know a few inventor types, and they can get pretty\nsingle-minded. I can picture Garrett Morgan wanting to find the right way to\ntest this chemical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But it wasn\u2019t his Airedale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was his neighbor\u2019s dog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I am pretty sure Garrett Morgan was delighted to discover\nthat his chemical solution worked very well as he straightened the coat of this\nlocal dog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But he had not asked permission. He hadn\u2019t even told his\nneighbor he would do this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So after the successful hair treatment, doggie went home and\nwas a stranger to his family. The dog\u2019s owner wouldn\u2019t let him in the house. What\na transformation!<\/p>\n\n\n\n I can\u2019t stop giggling at the idea of straightening a dog\u2019s\nhair. Just how many treats did that take?<\/p>\n\n\n\n But Morgan launched a company of expanding hair care products. His photo in Wikipedia shows a very handsome black man with impeccably straightened hair. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I bet he was a fascinating man to talk to, and I can imagine\nhis home constantly had experiments going on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And my doggie was associated with that. I am delighted.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" My husband grew up with an Airedale terrier, and we have one. This is our second dog of the same breed. One of the good things about this breed is they don\u2019t shed. Their hair is hair, not fur, and … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/writtenbymurphy.com\/wonderblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Garrett_Morgan.gif\")
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