(Photo courtesy of the Ohio History Connection)

NEW YORK - The Daily Miracle - the New York City subway system, moving nearly six million people a day - was made possible by technology developed over a century ago, thanks to a man nearly forgotten in history: Granville T. Woods.

"Woods was a genius," said Bridgett Pride, reference librarian at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. "He was a wonderfully intelligent electrical engineer."

Woods was awarded more than 60 patents in a career that began in his home state of Ohio in the 1880s and continued in New York until his death in 1910.

His work earned him the nickname "The Black Edison."

His inventions revolutionized transportation: the third rail and a telegraph system that enabled train crews to speak with each another, an advancement that saved lives.

"His DNA is in so many of the things that we use every day," said Concetta Bencivenga, director of the New York Transit Museum.

His work is preserved throughout the New York Transit Museum.

"He was largely self-taught and incredibly motivated to tackle some of the really the hardest questions of the era, which is, how do you bend electricity to your will?" Bencivenga said.

In his career, he sold inventions to Alexander Graham Bell and Westinghouse. But he spent more time fighting for his due than reaping the windfall that should have been his.

"There is actually a case where Thomas Edison tried to take ownership for one of his inventions," said Bridgett Pride of the Schomburg Center. "Took him to court twice, lost twice."

Still, at his death, he was buried in a crowded pauper's grave at this cemetery in East Elmhurst, Queens. His resting place was without a headstone until 1975.

Today, his legacy is carried on to new generations at P.S. 335 The Granville T. Woods school in Brooklyn, which stresses science, technology, engineering, arts and math.

"He was very persistent in making sure he got to where he wanted to be," said Karena Thompson, the school's principal. "So we try to instill that also in our students."

"I was a bit inspired by him because I could do like anything that comes to my mind," said student Timauri Purvis.

A trailblazer who died 110 years ago is motivating students today.