On August 5, 1914, a significant event took place at the intersection of East 105th Street and Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio. The world’s first electric traffic light was activated, featuring a red light for stop and a green light for go, forever changing the way traffic was managed.

A Booming City with Chaotic Streets

Horse-drawn wagons, streetcars, early automobiles, and crowds of pedestrians jostled for space. Police officers stood in the middle of intersections, risking their lives to try to direct the crazy traffic flow. It was dangerous, messy, and unsustainable.

Enter Safety Director Alfred Benesch and inventor James Hoge.

Hoge’s “interlocking high reflector signals” were a game-changer. Two lights—red and green—are mounted on poles at all four corners of the intersection. The system was simple but revolutionary. Red meant stop. Green meant go. Bells rang to indicate which direction had the right of way. A traffic officer stationed in a nearby booth controlled it all with switches.

The location wasn’t chosen by accident. Euclid Avenue was the heart of Cleveland’s East End shopping district. According to Benesch, more pedestrians passed that corner than anywhere else in the city. It was the perfect test case for a bold new system.

The Cleveland Automobile Club called the experiment “revolutionary.” City officials, business leaders, reporters, and even railway executives attended to witness it in action.

The Result

The new signals got traffic moving more safely and efficiently. They let officers step out of harm’s way. They gave pedestrians a fighting chance.

A year later, Benesch reported that the public was pleased. The signals sped up commutes and reduced the number of accidents. Cleveland had found its rhythm, and other cities soon followed.

But this was just the beginning.

Within a few years, other inventors improved on the concept. Garrett Morgan, a Black inventor from Cleveland, added a third light—a warning signal. That yellow light changed everything again, creating a pause between stop and go. It gave drivers time to slow down and pedestrians time to cross the street. It made intersections smarter and safer.

From this first flicker in Cleveland, traffic signals evolved into the automatic, multi-colored systems we take for granted today.