Black History Spotlight: Day #25
Contribution: Invented the gear shift and turn signal for automobiles and school buses as well as several other items.
Age: 84 (1878 - 1963)
Mini Bio:
Richard Spikes patented many inventions. Some of them improved automobiles, including the automatic gear shift and automatic directional signals. Richard’s signaling system was introduced in 1913, in a car called the Pierce Arrow. It soon became standard in all cars. In 1932, Richard sold his automatic gear-shift design for more than $100,000 – a huge amount of money then. He made many other, varied inventions and had a long career, right up until his death in 1962.
- Some people think Richard was from Texas. Others say Oklahoma or California.
- Richard’s many inventions include a tap for beer kegs. He sold his tap design to the Milwaukee Brewing Company.
- Late in Richard’s life, he was working on a safety brake for cars, but he was losing his vision. To help him finish his work, Richard invented a drafting machine for blind designers.
- His safety brake was installed in almost every school bus in the nation.
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