Thomas Edison - Biography

Thomas Edison

The electric light bulb

AMERICAN INVENTOR

Thomas Edison’s Biography

Early life

Thomas Alva Edison was born on February 11th, 1847 in Milan, Ohio. He was nicknamed “Al”, when he was young. Edison’s family moved to Port Huron, Michigan; when Thomas was seven. He attended school only for a few months. He was taught reading, writing and arithmetic by his mother because she was a teacher. Edison said about his mother, “.” He also read a lot of books in his father’s library. Edison began working at early age. At thirteen, he sold newspapers. He wrote and published the Grand Trunk Herald, which was send to 400 rail road employees. With all what he sold, he got a lot of money so Edison bought and installed a chemistry laboratory in the basement of his house. But unfortunately, one-day dangerous products which were stocked in wagons exploded and he was fired. It’s the end of Weekly Herald. He got scarlet fever (a sickness), he was cured but practically deaf. In 1862, Thomas worked as telegraph operator at Port Huron.

The main events of his life

In 1869, Edison moved to New York and he repaired a telegraph, so he was offered a post of chief engineer. He earned a lot of money with that he opened his first research laboratory in 1874 in Newark, New Jersey.

In 1876, he invented the phonograph and a few years after he invented the electric light bulb in 1879. He married with Mary Stilwell, and they had three children, but she died very young, so he married with Mina Miller and they also had three children together

In 1913 Thomas Edison produced the first sound film in the world.

During the first World War, the American government called Edison for his donations in chemistry. Edison has received 1 093 U.S patents (a total still untouched by any other inventors). He died on 18th October 1931 (he lived 84 years)

The Electric Light Bulb

Before, in the time of prehistory, people used the fire. They had to build fire to have light. In the antiquity, they used oil lamps, after a few centuries candles appeared. In the 19th century, in 1853 Kerosene lantern is invented by Ignacy Lukasiewicz. In 1879, the population is still lit by candles or kerosene lanterns, so Edison developed the electric light bulb. After several attempts (more than 1000), he had the idea to use Japanese bamboo. The incandescent lamp was born. A famous quote : “I haven't failed I’ve just found 10 000 ways that won't work” It was at the Universal Exhibition of 1889 in Paris. Edison created the Edison Electric Light Company to sell light bulbs. Thomas Edison wanted light to be accessible by all the world. He said: "I am going to return the electricity so cheap as only the rich can have the luxury of using candles

Conclusion Thomas Edison is one of the biggest inventor in the world, he created a model for modern industrial research. To pay a tribute to him American people all switched off the lights, to understand how the world was before. This tribute took place 100 years after

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