Assignment 5 - JP Knight

JP Knight was a European Inventor who lived during the early 1900’s. He attended school Nottingham High School in London. Today, Knight is credited with inventing the first traffic light. The traffic light he created is not what we use today, but it has the same overall concept. His traffic light utilized a revolving gas powered lantern that used a red and green light. This original invention was first used near the British Houses of Parliament in London. Although the invention served its purpose, it was not reliable. At one time, the gas lantern exploded and injured people nearby.

The traffic light used today is a modified version of what JP Knight introduced. Today’s traffic lights are usually powered by electricity, so exploding gas lanterns are not an issue. The traffic light has evolved to use multiple lights to serve multiple purposes. Some traffic lights have been designed to incorporate 14 different signals.

Please visit the following link to view a picture of the traffic light designed by JP Knight:

http://www33.brinkster.com/iiiii/trfclt/hydra2.jpg