On the morning of March 26, 1912, the Jed coal mine in West Virginia exploded. In a flash, methane gas ignited and 81 miners lost their lives. From this tragedy, mine engineer John T. Ryan Sr. had an epiphany: “If I could spend my life doing what I can to lessen the likelihood of the occurrence of such terrible disasters, I shall feel in the end that my life had been well spent.”
Ryan recruited colleague George H. Deike to help realize his vision. Recognizing the importance of dependable, safe mining equipment, they went straight to one of the country’s great thinkers: Thomas Edison. The brilliant inventor helped Ryan and Deike create a battery-powered headlamp that would help prevent methane-related explosions caused by open-flame lamps. Over the next 25 years, that invention would reduce mine explosions by an astounding 75 percent. Of all his inventions, this was the one that did the most for humanity, Edison would later say.