"Transportation, from the Soap Box Derby to the Jeep: First Automatic Traffic Signal"

Amanda L. (United States of America)
10 words 7 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. automatic
    operating with minimal human intervention
    Garrett A. Morgan, an African-American businessman and inventor, invented the first automatic traffic signal in 1923.
  2. traffic
    vehicles or pedestrians traveling in a particular locality
    Garrett A. Morgan, an African-American businessman and inventor, invented the first automatic traffic signal in 1923.
  3. signal
    any action or gesture that encodes a message
    Garrett A. Morgan, an African-American businessman and inventor, invented the first automatic traffic signal in 1923.
  4. congest
    become or cause to become obstructed
    It brought order and greater safety to city streets congested with the increasingly popular horseless carriages.
  5. manufacture
    put together out of artificial or natural components
    Morgan sold the invention to the General Electric Co for $40,000, and GE began manufacturing the signals.
  6. mechanics
    the branch of physics concerned with the motion of bodies
    His understanding of mechanics helped him both in his trade and also in his memorable inventions.
  7. acquire
    come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
    While others may have been working on similar ideas at the time, Morgan was the first to acquire a U.S. patent for his work, which was granted on November 20, 1923.
  8. extensive
    large in spatial extent or range or scope or quantity
    He also invented a gas mask that was used extensively in 1914 during World War I to protect service people from the effects of chlorine gas fumes.
  9. install
    set up for use
    The traffic signal was first installed in Cleveland at the corner of Euclid Avenue and East 105th Street.
  10. incorporate
    unite or merge with something already in existence
    While colored lights were incorporated later, Morgan's idea was a machine that displayed three versions of the signs: "stop" — "go" — and an "all-directional stop."
Created on Tue Oct 06 10:56:44 EDT 2020 (updated Tue Oct 06 14:14:18 EDT 2020)

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