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The Black Inventor Who Beat Thomas Edison — Then Disappeared From History

PanaGenius TV

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Granville T. Woods was a pioneering Black inventor whose innovations helped transform America’s railway and electric transit systems. He even prevailed in major patent disputes involving interests connected to Thomas Edison—yet today, few people know his name.

In this episode of The Breakdown, we uncover Woods’ remarkable story and the powerful lesson it holds today about innovation, ownership, capital, wealth, and who ultimately gets credit for building the future.

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18 Comments

@PanaGeniusTV Creator 1 day ago Pinned

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@w_xoiox_w 1 day ago

Stealing doesn't make u great, being honest does. Woods deserves all the credit 4 his invention. If u did not make it, it's not yours. We can't make excuses for wrong doing. It doesn't matter what Edison knew bc they stole everything from us and remixed it. This system is a problem and we need 2 b more honesty 💯💐

@chumamakasi6682 1 day ago

We MUST learn how to build systems, systems thinking is the only way to build anything enduring.
Obama hinted on that many times when he addressed African leaders but we are yet to recognize the value of that and until and unless we do, we will always continue to ride at the bottom of the barrel.

@davidadams6851 1 day ago

Thank you for sharing this wonderful message and history 🙏 ❤️ 💪

@davidadams6851 1 day ago

I am Toronto Canada 🇨🇦

@pedrokiaxi6466 1 day ago

Interesting as always! And same questions that need a hard looking into, I suspect the difficulty has shifted in mind & purpose.

@Hak9115-k1s 1 day ago (edited)

Great Topic🏆👑& They Should Make A Documentary Or A Movie 🎥 About Him👑❤️🖤💚🔴⚫️🟢!

@meh748 1 day ago

Hi Sandra
Could you please throw light on the Ghania inventor JOHN MENSHA Who died mysterious in Ghana, he help to design most of the electric trains that are been developed across Africa including Ghana

@Microwave-y6k 18 hours ago

PanaGenius that was really genius, pun intended. I'm a fan of inventors and inventions, that was nicely done. The lesson is, invent a product and also invent a method of manufacturing it cheaply; invent something you can make and sell yourself - the orders will come. The secret is not rely on any middleman even financiers. Thomas Edison himself did not like dealing with financiers like J.P. Morgan.

@ValarieRucker 1 day ago (edited)

They hijacked his ideas and made it about themselves is what I think because back then we African americans know things where very very cheap so a man with that much intelligence had the money he payed for patents etc. Know sit on that an just think they hated black people do think they were going to let you pay for something they couldn't invent they already had all they needed to just remove him they had all the patents he had already build. So what happened was they stole them an claimed he just couldn't afford. Think about if he couldn't afford something his putting his blood a sweat in why would he even take his ideal there was then what was reported 🤔 This is patent has always been it's a business to strip you of yours. So this why I say we have to hold not fold don't just sell off your idea your resources just maybe there is another way. Now that I think about it those patent people may need to be audited because these may even crack open an even bigger reality to this war on black people 🤔 #ArePatentsReallyPatents and how many black people have they really duped because they only won't you as a cheap worker and consumer.

@dotidotidonto 23 hours ago (edited)

🚴🤹Africans are the brains that has made the all earth breathing with joy.🤸‍♂🤾🤸‍♀⛹‍♀
👄🍅Doti- Nairobi-Kenya🌿

@HonorineS 1 day ago

What happened to Woods as an individual is what has been happening to Africans as individual countries.

@mybit7470 1 day ago

Every African country has schools and needs school buses. To me, this is one of the best ways to in cooperate Chinkumbutso's technology _ use it in school buses or even in military vehicles and ambulances. But it looks as if Africa is prepared to let Chikumbutso's work lie dormant. We do not recognize blessings when delivered via our own!

@lisachestnut 1 day ago

This is the story of all our black inventors, creators and entertainers. Sad.

@dragonsyph2557 1 day ago

HAHAHAHAHAH, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH , thanks for the laughs.

@ubaachieng4668 1 day ago

I recently saw a post title claiming that a young Nigerian had built a drone that he sold to foreign investors for millions. I refused to watch it. The Nigerian government, or any rich Nigerian could not match the price and buy it? Now Nigerian will spend billions in the future buying drones built elsewhere (maybe even from some knowledge learnt from the young mans prototype) instead of making billions from selling their own drones!
I agree that we have to set the systems that will make us benefit from whatever we produce. We cannot just copy the systems we were taught by the west (they were set up largely to favour them). We have to come up with our own or adjust what we were taught to favour us.

@Gulet-f1p 8 hours ago

We all know that Thomas Edison was always a thief.

@frankwilliams6800 1 day ago

There you go, Africans simplifying black American history. This was during slavey. The challenges he face were unimaginable. It wasn't apples to oranges. Your using this brother for your narratives. If you don't really care about us leave us alone.