Excerpt:
Granville T. Woods is sometimes called the "Black Thomas Edison" because he invented so many electrical devices. During his lifetime, Granville Woods obtained more than fifty patents for electrical devices that he invented. Granville was called an "extremely prolific and brilliant inventor." He was born in Columbus, Ohio, where he attended school until the age of ten. When he was sixteen years old, Granville got a job as a fireman-engineer with the railroad. He also began to study electrical and mechanical engineering.