Thomas Edison was an unlikely hero, at first, because he was deaf and had no education. By overcoming obstacles, he became one of the greatest inventors and businessman of all time. His contributions and inventions changed the world of technology and paved the way for other inventors and scientists to develop instruments and devices that would make the U.S. a world power in technology.
Thomas Edison was born on February 11, 1847 in Milan, Ohio, being the youngest of seven children to Samuel and Nancy Edison (World Book Inc. 1-2). Edison did very poorly at school, so he was taught at home by his mother (American History 1). When he was still a young boy, Edison got scarlet fever and lost all of his hearing in one ear, and had poor hearing in the other by the age of 12. "His poor hearing also encouraged his love for books" (Wilson Web 2). At age 15, Edison took telegraph lessons, and in 1863, worked as a telegraph operator for the Western Union Telegraph Company in the town of Port Huron (World Book 2).
In 1969, Edison got out of the Telegraph business to be a full time inventor, after he had invented the duplex telegraph "which allowed two messages to travel at the same time." He then went to New York City where he invented his first invention, the "electric vote recorder." However, politicians did not want it, so it was never used (World Book 3, Wilson Web 3). In 1870, Edison moved to Newark, New Jersey, and in 1874 invented the quadruplex telegraph that could send four messages at a time. "His invention of the quadruplex telegraph "strengthened Edison's reputation as an inventor in the telegraph community" (World Book 3). In 1871, Edison married Mary Stilwell at Menlo Park, New Jersey. Here, he invented a few of his first ever inventions which include the incandescent electric light bulb, the phonograph, the motion-picture projector, the automatic and multiplex telegraph, the carbon telephone transmitter, the stock ticker, and the alkaline battery. Edison found out there was one problem with the electric light bulb: nobody could afford it. So, he made a light bulb that had a filament of burnt bamboo. By 1879, he made an electric lamp for the light bulb, which was called the incandescent lamp (Goldman, Phyllis Barkas 3). In 1876, Edison built a laboratory at Menlo Park. In 1877, he invented the superior transmitter for the phone which Alexander Graham Bell patented in 1876. "Before his invention, people had difficulty hearing anything said over the telephone." In 1876 and 1877, Edison worked on recording and playing back messages for the telegraph and telephone. Edison eventually invented the cylinder phonograph, and in December 1877, he became world famous for his invention. From 1888 to 1915, he helped found the motion picture industry, built buildings for the motion pictures, and designed the projector for the motion pictures. "Edison continued to work and experiment while suffering from several illnesses that struck him in his late years." He died at home on October 18, 1931(World Book 3-7).
One Great deed that made Thomas Edison a hero was his invention of the phonograph. After a while, Edison improved on the phonograph and made such things like the cylinder phonograph, disk records, and the Ediphone. For these great inventions and improvements, he was appointed Legion of Honor in 1878 by France and Congress gave him the Medal of Honor in 1928. There was also a celebration in 1929 honoring Edison of the "50th anniversary for his invention of the incandescent lamp." There was another tribute at his funeral on October 21, 1931 where the lights turned off for a short time to honor him for his invention (World Book Inc. 7-8).
Another great deed that made Thomas Edison a hero and famous was the electric light. At the first of his experimentation, Edison worked on the incandescent lamp for the use by homeowners. They tested materials for the wire that would be used for the light bulb. In 1879, Edison and his associates produced the first carbon filament made from burnt sewing thread. Eventually, they began using bamboo for the wire. After making the first incandescent light bulb, Edison began constructing electric power plants in cities, so there was a use for the lamp and light bulb. In 1892, Edison formed the General Electric Company combined from other companies that supplied generators, power cables, electric lamps, and lighting fixtures (World Book Inc. 4- 5).
In conclusion, Thomas Edison "was one of the greatest inventors and industrial leaders of all time." He overcame deafness and a lack of education to become known as an amazing inventor. Edison helped make, or invented himself, over one-thousand useful devices and household products that we still use today. These inventions include the electric light, the phonograph, improvements on the telegraph, telephone, and the motion picture industry. "Armed with self-confidence and determination, Edison overcame a number of technical and commercial failures" to become world famous by only the age of 30, and a millionaire by the age of 40 ( World Book Inc. 1).
