Today we celebrate Granville T. Woods (1856-1910). He was the first African American mechanical and electrical engineer after the Civil War.
Because he was prolific in his inventions, including technologies such as the safety circuit, telegraph, telephone, and phonograph, Woods is sometimes referred to as the Black Edison.
Over his lifetime, he received nearly 60 patents and invented 15 appliances for electric railways. His lasting legacy was a safer public transportation system for many cities in the United States.
For more information, see his Wikipedia entry and watch this brief YouTube video.