Granville T. Woods, known as "The Black Edison", was the first African American mechanical and electrical engineer after the Civil War. Being self-taught, he held almost 60 U.S. patents. Alexander Graham Bell & Thomas Edison actually purchased 'their' widely known inventions from Granville.
Unfortunately, Granville died penniless when he should have been richly revered as the backbone of technology. He spent all of his money on court cases for his inventions. Granville developed a deep anger towards his circumstances and the people who tried to keep him down. They broke his spirit. I salute you & thank you Granville T. Woods! #BlackHistory
