Thomas Edison Biography

BIRTH: February 11, 1847 Milan, Ohio, USA

DEATH: October 18, 1931 (aged 84) New Jersey, USA

Thomas Edison Biography : Early Life, Inventions, & Facts

Thomas Edison was one of the greatest American inventors and a proficient business man. He was best-known for having more than a thousand patents for his amazing inventions. His most famous inventions include the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and the electric light bulb. He was called a ‘wizard’ and a ‘genius’ for his contribution to the society.

Thomas Alva Edison was born on February 11, 1847, in Milan, Ohio to Samuel and Nancy Edison. He was the youngest of seven children. Thomas was known as ‘Al’ in his childhood. His father was a political activist and his mother was a teacher. In 1854, his family moved to Michigan where Thomas spent most of his childhood. Thomas went to public school for a short time. He discontinued his studies in just three months. His mother played a big role in his education, as he was home-schooled by her.

Thomas was also an avid reader. Teachers described him as a poor student, but he did well when taught by his mother. As a young and curious mind, he would conduct experiments in the basement of his home. He had an interest in mechanical things and building objects.

He began to work at the age of twelve. His first business attempt was when he started the Grand Trunk Herald. It was the first newspaper which was started on a moving train. The paper was a great success among the masses. Edison made a small laboratory in one of the baggage cars. There, he performed his experiments. His newspaper was also printed in the same laboratory. However, his car caught fire when one of his chemical tests went wrong.

During 1862, Edison learned how to use the telegraph. He took an interest in communication and electricity, which he later experimented with in many of his inventions. In 1862, after he received proper training, he started to work as a telegraph operator in a local office.

At the age of fifteen, Edison was known as a ‘tramp telegrapher’. He studied and later tested telegraph technology. He used a set of characters (sequences of dots and dashes) called the Morse code in his telegraph experiments. Slowly, he began to invent things. His first invention, which got patented, was the electric vote recorder.

Edison got his big break after he invented the stock ticker called the Universal Stock Printer, at the age of 22. Edison’s invention caught the attention of The Gold and Stock Telegraph Company. The company paid him a lot of money for the rights to the invention. He built a small research laboratory in Menlo Park. It was the first building which was built with the intention of inventing. He offered jobs to many people, who were also inventors in his research lab.

The three greatest inventions of his career were the phonograph, the lightbulb and the motion picture camera. The phonograph was his first big invention. The device, invented in 1877, was used to record. People started to call him the ‘Wizard of Menlo Park’ and the ‘Inventor of the Age’.

His second big invention was the practical light bulb in 1879. His electric light system delivered light to the entire city. He had started the Edison Electric Light Company just a year ago. To supply electricity to everyone, he developed safety fuses and on/off switches for light sockets.

He also improved on his previous experiments, particularly the phonograph. He developed the first commercially viable fluoroscope and the first talking doll.

Edison’s third major invention was the mot ion picture camera. He worked with William Dickson to build the motion picture camera.

His practical invention contributed to the development of movies.

Edison was not only an inventor, but also a great businessman. In his later years, he dev eloped the storage battery to power electric cars. The first battery was used by Henry Ford and became a huge success. During World War I, he helped the government by building submarine radars for them.

Edison got married twice. He was the father of six children.

Thomas Edison died on October 18, 1931, due to diabetes. After his death, people paid tribute to this great inventor. Edison’s birthday is noted as National Inventor’s Day.