Born in Columbus, Ohio in 1856, Granville Woods first started working as a fireman, and then became a mechanical engineer and inventor.
As an inventor, he received over 60 patents. Two of his most notable inventions were a device that he named a “telegraphony”, which allowed communication by voice over telegraph wires, and a Synchronous Multiplex Railway Telegraph that helped trains communicate with stations and other trains about their whereabouts and problems on the track.
The first was purchased by Alexander Graham Bell, the second was challenged in court by Thomas Edison. Woods successfully defended his patent, leading Edison to offer him a prominent job within his company. Woods declined preferring to work independently.