On July 25, 1916, tragedy struck Cleveland, Ohio, during the construction of a water intake tunnel beneath Lake Erie. Workers hit a pocket of natural gas, triggering a massive underground explosion 250 feet below the surface. The tunnel filled instantly with deadly marsh gas, carbon monoxide, and suffocating smoke.
The first two rescue teams sent into the darkness collapsed within minutes, adding to the death toll and paralyzing emergency response efforts. In desperation, officials remembered local African American inventor Garrett Morgan, who had recently patented a device called the Safety Hood. Morgan's invention relied on a long intake tube hanging near the floor, taking advantage of the fact that toxic smoke rises while cleaner, cooler air settles near the ground.
Driven to help, Garrett Morgan, his brother Frank, and two brave volunteers rushed to the tunnel site in their pajamas in the middle of the night. Strapping on the untested prototypes, Morgan and his team plunged into the poisoned tunnel. While skeptics watched in awe, Morgan emerged carrying a survivor on his back, ultimately making four perilous trips to rescue multiple men and recover bodies.
Despite his heroism proving the undeniable effectiveness of his safety hood—which later evolved into WWI gas masks—racial prejudice led local authorities to largely omit Morgan's name from official rescue commendations.