Granville T. Woods

Woods, Granville T. (1856–1910), black U.S. inventor. Woods was largely self-taught but studied some engineering. His most important invention was a railway telegraph system (1887) for communication between moving trains and between trains and stations. Other inventions included a steam boiler furnace, an automatic air brake, and a galvanic battery. Many of his inventions were sold to General Electric and other large companies.