Granville T. Woods

Granville was an Engineer born on April 23, 1856.   He opened his company in 1881 in Cincinnati, OH. The focus of the company was to develop, manufacture and sell electrical apparatuses.

His first invention improved the steam boiler furnace.  He also improved the telephone transmitter.  This device combining the telephone and the telegraph was bought by Alexander Graham Bell.

In 1887 Granville T Woods defeated Thomas Edison in a law suit that challenged his patent for the multiplex telegraph in 1887. After this victory he became known as he Black Edison.  After receiving the patent for the multiplex telegraph he moved his company to New York City and changed the name to the Woods Electric Company.

Another notable invention he created was the “third rail” used by electric-power transit systems.

Granville T Woods inventions are used even today.

To learn more about Granville T Woods click on the links below or simply time in the name Granville T Wood in your search engine.

http://www.biography.com/articles/Granville-T.-Woods-9536481

http://www.african-americaninventors.org/inventors.php

More to come from the Africanaprincess.

 

The Father of Gospel Music

November 12, 2010

The Father of Gospel Music

Thomas A Dorsey was a blues pianist and he wrote over 400 compositions.  He was known as the “whispering piano player” because he had to play quietly enough not to draw the attention of the police. During the time he was a blues pianist he had two nervous breakdowns. It took 3 years for him to recover and when recovered he began to play church music, songs of faith.

Thomas A Dorsey invented gospel by combining blues and Negro spirituals together.  The music was not widely accepted. His first gospel song, “If You See My Savior Tell Him That You Saw Me” was published in 1932.

In 1932 he lost his wife and baby during childbirth. During his time of grief he wrote     the song “Take My Hand, Precious Lord”.  Thomas Dorsey created the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses.

To learn more about Thomas Dorsey click on the links below or simple type the name Thomas Dorsey on your search engine.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-chicagodays-gospelmusic-story,0,4781287.story

http://www.pbs.org/thisfarbyfaith/people/thomas_dorsey

More to come from the Africanaprincess.