thomas edison inventions

thomas edison inventions

thomas edison inventions

thomas edison inventions

thomas edison inventions

thomas edison inventions

thomas edison inventions

Thomas Edison Facts

thomas edison

Thomas Edison was born in Milan, Ohio on February 11, 1847 and died on October 18, 1931.  He was the seventh and final child of Samuel Edison Jr. and Nancy Matthews Elliot.  He was of Dutch ancestry.  While Thomas was in school, his mind often wandered from the task or lesson at hand, and his teacher believed his brain was addled.  His mother was displeased with the education he was getting, and so she home-schooled him.  She had a strong belief in her son, and so he wanted to live up to her expectations. 

At an early age, Edison developed problems hearing, and this was attributed to scarlet fever during childhood and recurring middle ear infections that were untreated.  In 1854, the family moved to Port Huron, Michigan.  He sold newspapers and candy on trains that were going from Port Huron to Detroit.  He also sold vegetables in order to supplement his income.  He realized that he had an ability to sell and be an entrepreneur.  This eventually led him to found fourteen companies, which included General Electric, which is still in existence today. 

Edison became a telegraph operator after his experience saving a three year old boy from being hit by a runaway train.  His first telegraphy job that was away from Port Huron was in Ontario.  At the age of nineteen, Thomas Edison moved to Louisville, Kentucky, and he worked for the Western Union.  Working the night shift allowed him to spend time reading and conducting experiments, but one of his experiments got him fired from his job.  He was working with a lead-acid battery when he spilled sulfuric acid on the floor.  The acid went between the floorboards and onto his boss's desk.  During his early years, Thomas Edison had a mentor, an inventor named Franklin Leonard Pope.  He allowed Thomas to live and work in his basement in Elizabeth, New Jersey. 

Edison had two wives in his lifetime.  First, he married Mary Stilwell, a sixteen year old, on December 25, 1871.  Together, they had three children:  Marion Estelle Edison, Thomas Alva Edison Jr., and William Leslie Edison.  Mary Edison died on August 9, 1884, most likely from a brain tumor.  On February 24, 1886, when he was thirty nine years old, Thomas Edison married a twenty year old named Mina Miller from Akron Ohio.  She was the child of Lewis Miller, an inventor.  Together, they had three children:  Madeleine Edison, Charles Edison, and Theodore Edison.  His second wife outlived him, passing away on August 24, 1947. 

Thomas Edison's career as an inventor began in Newark, New Jersey.  The first invention he made that got him any fame was in 1877 when he invented the phonograph.  When he invented it, he was known as "The WIzard of Menlo Park."

In 1877-1878, Thomas Edison invented the carbon microphone.  In 1880, Thomas Edison patented a system to be used for electricity distribution.  This was important in order to make use of the invention of the electric lamp.  The Edison Illuminating Company was founded in this same year, and it started the first investor owned electric utility on Pearl Street Station in New York City in 1882.  On September 4, 1882, Thomas Edison turned on his Pearl Street generating station's power distribution system, providing customers in lower Manhattan 110 volts of direct current.

Arguably Thomas Edison's best success was his ability to maximize his profits by establishing mass production systems as well as intellectual property rights.  By 1887, there were 121 of Edison's power stations that were delivering electricity to customers in the United States.  He continued to promote DC electricity rather than AC electricity.  This continued to be a competition between Edison and Westinghouse, who preferred AC electricity which could be raised to high voltages with the use of transformers and sent over cheaper wires.  In order to demonstrate his view of AC electricity and his dangers, employees of Edison would publicly electrocute animals.  One of these animals was Topsy the elephant at Luna Park following Topsy's killing of several men. 
Thomas Edison filed for a patent for his carbon filament lamp.  In 1878, Edison formed the Edison Electric lIght Company with the assistance of several financiers.  He had a demonstration of the incandescent light bulb for the public on December 31, 1879.  In 1883, it was ruled by the patent office that Edison's patent was based on the work of William Sawyer.  Therefore, the patent was considered invalid.  The litigation on the case continued for six years.  Edison and Joseph Swan formed a joint company in order to manufacture the invention. 

Another credited invention for Edison was the fluoroscope,  which is a machine that uses radiographs.  The general design of his fluoroscope is still being used today.  Unfortunately, Edison's assistant, Clarence Dally, had made himself the human experiment for Edison's invention, so he died of injuries that were related to his exposure.  In 1903, Edison refused to talk about the X-rays because he said he was afraid of them.

Edison also invented the stock ticker, which was an electricity based broadcast system.  He also was granted a patent for the kinetograph, or the motion picture camera, but his employee, W.K.L. Dickson, who was a photographer, worked on the optical and photographical development. 

Edison continued with business until his last days.  He died from complications of diabetes on October 18, 1931 at his home in West Orange, New Jersey.  His wife, Dina, died in 1947.  It is said that Edison's final breath is contained in a test tube located at the Henry Ford Museum.  There was also a plaster death mask made of Edison.

Add Your Comments about Thomas Edison Facts:

Date: Friday, Nov 19 2010Name:Barnika Bhandari
Date:19.11.10
His inventions are very useful for us.This is awesome!!!!

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Name: cowgirl Date: Wednesday, Nov 17 2010Thomas Edison had six kids WOW!!!

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Name: cowgirl Date: Tuesday, Nov 16 2010he was the inventor of electricity without him we wouldnt be able to do much these days.

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Name: tatiana Date: Monday, Nov 08 2010awesome

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Name: elyza Date: Tuesday, Oct 26 2010he is so cool... but in his pic he looks like a butler.

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Name: elyza Date: Tuesday, Oct 26 2010he died in october 18 in west orange new jersey

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Name: elyza Date: Monday, Oct 18 2010u knw me i learnt more than i know But on the
other he died when he was 35 years old and that he invented over 1,200 inventions and i really Enjoyed this article

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Name: lauren Date: Monday, Oct 18 2010thomas edison was 35 when he died . you know i
found more info of what i know

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Name: lauren Date: Sunday, Oct 17 2010very helpful information!

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Name: lauren Date: Friday, Oct 15 2010this is a very good pg to read

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Name: MEuNOpants Date: Tuesday, Sep 14 2010yes

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Name: jarusiewicz Date: Thursday, Aug 26 2010Noone invented electricity- it exists in the univers along with magnetic forces!!!

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Name: sheyanna deal Date: Tuesday, Aug 24 2010nerdy kids

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Name: Plusnow Date: Thursday, Aug 19 2010Mina not Dina also Mary

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Name: crystal clear Date: Tuesday, May 25 2010how uneducated are you peolpe posting comments?? Edison was a dullard & not very smart at all- it was his team of scientists that did all the work- the real genius & inventor of many credited to this idiot is Nikola Tesla. Tesla worked for Edison a short time; but had to get away him for not paying him & Tesla was far superior in intelligence!! read about Tesla- not this fool who abused many animals!!

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Name: ANGEL Date: Tuesday, May 25 2010how old was he when he died

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Name: your face Date: Monday, May 24 2010taylor launtener is so hot

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Name: steroids Date: Wednesday, May 19 2010jason payne is so hot

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Name: steroids Date: Wednesday, May 12 201084 when he died

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Name: April Date: Monday, May 10 2010He is a lot of help during Science =)!!
o

Thanks Much Thomas,
April!

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Name: Shelby825 Date: Wednesday, Apr 28 2010Thomas Edison is the best inventer EVER!

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Name: fag Date: Sunday, Apr 25 2010he only had two wives

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Name: olivia parkin Date: Wednesday, Apr 21 2010i think this site is great !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!xxxxolivia parkinxxxxxxxxx

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Name: CHAZ Date: Wednesday, Apr 21 2010if he did'nt invent elctrisity we would have no light so thanks tom you !!!ROCK!!! !!!DUDE!!!

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Name: Brooklyn Date: Thursday, Apr 15 2010Question Answer for the latest comment under me: I dont know who dins is and i did not know that he has more than three wifes. I'd actcully like to know that answer myself. so if you kno the answer to that question please tell us. :)

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Name: me Date: Monday, Apr 12 2010was wife #3 Mina or Dins????

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Name: me Date: Wednesday, Apr 07 2010I like Thomas Edison!!! You people are mean!!! With out him, you wouldn't have light!!!

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Name: me Date: Thursday, Apr 01 2010edison is awesome

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Name: Natalie Date: Wednesday, Mar 31 2010He is a very intelegent man and he helped us alot in everything he did. I need to make a report on him. I went to his musem in west orange, NJ. I t was awsome

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Name: sfreffcewcvwecvew Date: Monday, Mar 29 2010so bored i so hate this it sude have a picture of a dog so it can be cute insteda of a fat scienctist

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Name: some Date: Friday, Mar 26 2010he inveted everything

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Name: some Date: Wednesday, Mar 24 2010he is awsome

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Name: sassy 123 Date: Tuesday, Mar 23 2010i hate shcool

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Name: sassy 123 Date: Tuesday, Mar 23 2010 kool website need info on the way eletricity works

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Name: banana man Date: Monday, Mar 22 2010no date i
love

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Name: cool Date: Saturday, Mar 20 2010he is so intresting and good for school research and work

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Name: cool Date: Wednesday, Mar 10 2010I like Projects not

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Name: cool Date: Monday, Mar 08 2010I have 2 reports due to tomaro about edison and the preamble hhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeellllllllllpppppppppp mmmmmmmmmmmeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

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Name: cool Date: Thursday, Mar 04 2010his final breath is in a test tube!?!

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Name: cool Date: Tuesday, Mar 02 2010chicken

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Name: ariana Date: Tuesday, Feb 23 2010thank u for dat

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Name: alicia Date: Tuesday, Feb 23 2010raaaaaaaaahhhh!!!! edison middle school is awesomeoooh but boring ._. weeeeeeeeee waffle caking icecream monsters

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Name: shattered Date: Tuesday, Feb 23 2010wow i dont lik this... 100 word esay.. -_-"

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Name: David Date: Tuesday, Feb 16 2010electricity and u gave me a good gradeon a project thanks a hole much.

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Name: n Date: Tuesday, Feb 16 2010i hate school

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Name: n Date: Tuesday, Feb 16 2010hi wat u doin

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Name: n Date: Wednesday, Feb 10 2010i couldn't care less cos i don't like science!!!

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Name: billy bob Date: Wednesday, Feb 10 2010I F!@#$ HATE OUR TEACHERS >:0

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Name: rob santy Date: Wednesday, Feb 10 2010i think he was gay

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Name: rob santy Date: Tuesday, Feb 09 2010quick and to the point

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Name: rob santy Date: Tuesday, Feb 09 2010the true american hero

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Name: rob santy Date: Friday, Feb 05 2010thanks dude=]

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Name: rob santy Date: Tuesday, Feb 02 2010i like PIE

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Name: somebody Date: Tuesday, Feb 02 2010this is really helpful information :p thanks

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Name: somebody Date: Tuesday, Feb 02 2010COOL!!!!!!! :)

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Name: somebody Date: Monday, Feb 01 2010he is dead

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Name: somebody Date: Thursday, Jan 28 2010awsom cool nice sweet fun

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Name: somebody Date: Wednesday, Jan 27 2010how old was he when he died

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Name: somebody Date: Wednesday, Jan 27 2010thanks thomas we will remember you

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Name: somebody Date: Tuesday, Jan 26 2010did he do drugs?

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Name: somebody Date: Monday, Jan 25 2010you should put some of the facts in columns or bullets.

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Name: somebody Date: Friday, Jan 22 2010HOw did he invent the light bulb

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Name: somebody Date: Thursday, Jan 21 2010very good but could be improved.

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Name: somebody Date: Wednesday, Jan 20 2010give me seven fackts

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Name: dfgdfgd Date: Thursday, Jan 14 2010gdgdfgdfgfdg

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Name: shashank Date: Thursday, Jan 14 2010he invented a lot of stuff that changing our lives today.

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Name: shashank Date: Tuesday, Jan 12 2010you mispellled electricity.  Other than that, this was full of awesome information so thanks for providing all the info.

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Name: smart Date: Thursday, Jan 07 2010He invented electrisity!!!!!!!!!!!