1856 – Inventor Granville Woods is Born
On this day in 1856, inventor Granville Woods was born in Columbus, Ohio. In his lifetime he registered over 60 patents and was awarded 27 between 1884 and 1903. Known for his work in electrical engineering, his most notable invention was the Synchronous Multiplex Railway Telegraph, which allowed communication between trains and train depots. Woods won a lawsuit patent over Thomas Edison, who claimed invention over the multiplex telegraph. In Ohio, he formed the Woods Electric Company, partially due to his difficulty in finding work, but also to maintain control over his own creations.
1872 – Charlotte E. Ray Becomes First Black Female Lawyer
On April 23, 1872, Charlotte E. Ray became the first Black woman to be admitted to practice law in the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. The first Black female lawyer in American History, Ray was born in New York City in 1910. She was the first woman to graduate from Howard Law in 1872. As women were not allowed to be members of the D.C. bar, she secured her admission by using a pseudonym to conceal her gender. Despite her skills, she was unable to maintain a steady legal career due to racial and gender discrimination.
