Invention of the traffic light

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The invention of the traffic light is credited to several people, with various designs being developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to manage the increasing number of automobiles and other traffic in cities.

Early Concepts

The very first traffic control device was not electrical. A gas-powered signal, installed in London near the Houses of Parliament in 1868 by railway engineer J.P. Knight, used semaphore arms by day and red/green gas lamps at night. Unfortunately, it exploded a month after installation, injuring the attending policeman, and the concept was abandoned for a while.

The Modern Electric Traffic Light

The true precursor to the modern electric traffic light was invented in Salt Lake City, Utah, by policeman Lester Wire in 1912. Wire's design was a two-color (red and green) electrical light mounted on a pole, controlled manually.

The first electric traffic light system installed on a street was in Cleveland, Ohio, on August 5, 1914, at the corner of East 105th Street and Euclid Avenue. This system, developed by the American Traffic Signal Company, also used red and green lights and was based on a design by James Hoge. It had a buzzer to warn of color changes.

A more sophisticated system, which included a "Stop" and "Go" sign, was developed by William Potts, a Detroit police officer, in 1920. He is credited with inventing the four-way, three-color (red, yellow, and green) traffic light system, which is the standard used globally today. The yellow or amber light was introduced to provide a warning that the signal was about to change.

Finally, in 1923, Garrett Morgan, an African-American inventor, patented a T-shaped traffic signal that could be easily adapted into the three-position (Stop, Go, and an all-directional Stop) lights common today. Morgan later sold his patent rights to General Electric.

20 Questions Using the Passive Voice 🚦

 * Was the first traffic control device invented by a railway engineer?

 * Was the gas-powered traffic signal installed in London?

 * Was the London device destroyed in an explosion?

 * Were the semaphore arms used during the day?

 * Was the electrical two-color traffic light designed by Lester Wire?

 * In which American city was the first electric traffic system put into place?

 * Was the 1914 Cleveland system operated by a buzzer?

 * Was the four-way, three-color light system created by William Potts?

 * By whom was the amber light introduced to the system?

 * Is the standard three-color system used all over the world?

 * Was Garrett Morgan's T-shaped signal patented in 1923?

 * To which company were Morgan's patent rights later sold?

 * Are traffic lights usually mounted on poles or gantries?

 * How are modern traffic signals controlled in large cities?

 * Is the green light used to permit traffic to move?

 * Will the new smart traffic systems be governed by artificial intelligence?

 * How often are the older mechanical systems replaced?

 * Can traffic flow be improved by coordinated signal timings?

 * Have many traffic accidents been avoided because of these devices?

 * Will the historical development of the traffic light be taught in schools?