Thomas edison information in english

For people in the 19th century, Thomas Alva Edison was a wizard. His "inventiveness" was an embodiment of Arthur C. Clarke's famous and often overused quote, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." In fact, after his invention of the phonograph in 1877, he became known as the “Wizard of Menlo Park”. As for his detractors, they believed Edison's greatest and only true invention was his perfectly crafted image. What is history's verdict? Neither is necessarily true. Edison's contributions to society are equally great and controversial. Some of his 1000+ inventions have gone on to shape our lives. However, he is also not the saint of science that some of our school teachers taught in grade school. The American inventor was a ruthless businessman, opportunist, and had an impressive streak of "modifying" original, inventive ideas. The latter habit was not necessarily always a bad thing. Edison had the impressive ability to take an idea and bring the absolute technological best out of it, making it practical, and in a lot of cases, create something almost magical. We are not here to crucify Edison. Rather, we will present the facts behind some of Edison's most essential inventions. America's greatest inventor or thief? We will let you decide. Thomas Edison's inventive mind can be traced all the way back to his childhood. If you want to gain further insight into By his teenage years, the young inventor had built a chemistry lab in his mother's base...

Thomas Edison often claimed that Oct. 22, 1879 was the first successful test of his famous light bulb and, hence, the true anniversary of its creation. It was on this date that his incandescent light bulb glowed for 13.5 hours. In fact, dozens of scientists had worked on electric light sources since at least 1802, when Sir Humphrey Davy created an early form of the electric arc lamp by connecting a battery to a strip of platinum that subsequently glowed, albeit neither very brightly nor for very long. The world has never been quite as dark ever since. What Edison did to best his competitors, and thus get credit for inventing the first economically practical light bulb, was to find an effective incandescent material (a carbonized filament); develop a far better vacuum in his bulbs; and create a high level of resistance (a measure of how a material reduces the electric current flow through it). He also figured out how to distribute electricity to people’s homes and buildings from a centralized source — his dynamo-powered electric stations — which was affordable to consumers and profitable for him. Tinkering with his bulb, he applied on Nov. 4, 1879 for U.S. Patent # 223,898, for an electric lamp using “a carbon filament or strip coiled and connected to platinum contact wires.” (Approved by the U.S. Patent office on Jan. 27, 1880, this was, perhaps, the most famous of his 1,093 patents, along with those for the invention of the phonograph and a process for making motion pictu...

SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at Summary Thomas Alva Edison was born on February 11, 1847 in Milan, Ohio. He was the youngest of seven children, only four of whom would live to adulthood. His father, Samuel Edison, Jr. was principally a tavern owner and land speculator. His mother Nancy had been a schoolteacher. Samuel Edison had trouble providing for his large family and dabbled in many ventures, most of them unsuccessful. The family moved to the larger town of Port Huron in 1854, where the railroad had brought new opportunities. Edison was a sickly child. Perhaps because of this, his mother doted on him. He was curious even from a young age. Once, he asked his mother why geese sit on their eggs. She explained that it was so they would hatch, and when Thomas went missing that day, she found him sitting patiently on a batch of geese eggs in a neighbor's barn. Because of his sicknesses, the family's financial situation, and its relocation, Edison did not start school until he was about eight years old. He first attended the private school of Reverend G.B. Engle. Unfortunately, he was a restless pupil and did not perform well. He disliked the rote teaching met...

Chris Light Thomas Alva Edison was born in Milan, Ohio, on Feb. 11, 1847. His father, Samuel Edison, was a freethinker who tried many different careers. His mother, Nancy Elliott Edison, was a schoolteacher. When Thomas was seven, the family moved to Port Huron, Mich. There he went to school for a few months—the only formal schooling he ever had. He was educated mostly at home by his mother, who helped him to read classic works of literature, history, and science. By the time he was 12, he had also begun to do chemistry experiments and had his own laboratory in his father’s basement. Courtesy of the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Edison National Historic Site When he was 13, Edison began working on the Grand Trunk Railroad between Port Huron and Detroit, selling newspapers and candy. To continue his chemistry experiments he set up a laboratory in a baggage car on the train. He also began publishing his own newspaper there on a press that had been used for printing handbills. He was typesetter, press operator, editor, publisher, and newsboy for this paper, which he called The Herald. He printed many reports of the Civil War battles, and these helped to make his newspaper a success. At about this time Edison lost almost all of his hearing. A number of explanations have been given for his deafness. One story, told by Edison himself, is that a conductor once took him by both ears to lift him onto the train. Edison felt something snap in his head, and h...

For people in the 19th century, Thomas Alva Edison was a wizard. His "inventiveness" was an embodiment of Arthur C. Clarke's famous and often overused quote, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." In fact, after his invention of the phonograph in 1877, he became known as the “Wizard of Menlo Park”. As for his detractors, they believed Edison's greatest and only true invention was his perfectly crafted image. What is history's verdict? Neither is necessarily true. Edison's contributions to society are equally great and controversial. Some of his 1000+ inventions have gone on to shape our lives. However, he is also not the saint of science that some of our school teachers taught in grade school. The American inventor was a ruthless businessman, opportunist, and had an impressive streak of "modifying" original, inventive ideas. The latter habit was not necessarily always a bad thing. Edison had the impressive ability to take an idea and bring the absolute technological best out of it, making it practical, and in a lot of cases, create something almost magical. We are not here to crucify Edison. Rather, we will present the facts behind some of Edison's most essential inventions. America's greatest inventor or thief? We will let you decide. Thomas Edison's inventive mind can be traced all the way back to his childhood. If you want to gain further insight into By his teenage years, the young inventor had built a chemistry lab in his mother's base...

SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at Summary Thomas Alva Edison was born on February 11, 1847 in Milan, Ohio. He was the youngest of seven children, only four of whom would live to adulthood. His father, Samuel Edison, Jr. was principally a tavern owner and land speculator. His mother Nancy had been a schoolteacher. Samuel Edison had trouble providing for his large family and dabbled in many ventures, most of them unsuccessful. The family moved to the larger town of Port Huron in 1854, where the railroad had brought new opportunities. Edison was a sickly child. Perhaps because of this, his mother doted on him. He was curious even from a young age. Once, he asked his mother why geese sit on their eggs. She explained that it was so they would hatch, and when Thomas went missing that day, she found him sitting patiently on a batch of geese eggs in a neighbor's barn. Because of his sicknesses, the family's financial situation, and its relocation, Edison did not start school until he was about eight years old. He first attended the private school of Reverend G.B. Engle. Unfortunately, he was a restless pupil and did not perform well. He disliked the rote teaching met...

Chris Light Thomas Alva Edison was born in Milan, Ohio, on Feb. 11, 1847. His father, Samuel Edison, was a freethinker who tried many different careers. His mother, Nancy Elliott Edison, was a schoolteacher. When Thomas was seven, the family moved to Port Huron, Mich. There he went to school for a few months—the only formal schooling he ever had. He was educated mostly at home by his mother, who helped him to read classic works of literature, history, and science. By the time he was 12, he had also begun to do chemistry experiments and had his own laboratory in his father’s basement. Courtesy of the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Edison National Historic Site When he was 13, Edison began working on the Grand Trunk Railroad between Port Huron and Detroit, selling newspapers and candy. To continue his chemistry experiments he set up a laboratory in a baggage car on the train. He also began publishing his own newspaper there on a press that had been used for printing handbills. He was typesetter, press operator, editor, publisher, and newsboy for this paper, which he called The Herald. He printed many reports of the Civil War battles, and these helped to make his newspaper a success. At about this time Edison lost almost all of his hearing. A number of explanations have been given for his deafness. One story, told by Edison himself, is that a conductor once took him by both ears to lift him onto the train. Edison felt something snap in his head, and h...

Thomas Edison often claimed that Oct. 22, 1879 was the first successful test of his famous light bulb and, hence, the true anniversary of its creation. It was on this date that his incandescent light bulb glowed for 13.5 hours. In fact, dozens of scientists had worked on electric light sources since at least 1802, when Sir Humphrey Davy created an early form of the electric arc lamp by connecting a battery to a strip of platinum that subsequently glowed, albeit neither very brightly nor for very long. The world has never been quite as dark ever since. What Edison did to best his competitors, and thus get credit for inventing the first economically practical light bulb, was to find an effective incandescent material (a carbonized filament); develop a far better vacuum in his bulbs; and create a high level of resistance (a measure of how a material reduces the electric current flow through it). He also figured out how to distribute electricity to people’s homes and buildings from a centralized source — his dynamo-powered electric stations — which was affordable to consumers and profitable for him. Tinkering with his bulb, he applied on Nov. 4, 1879 for U.S. Patent # 223,898, for an electric lamp using “a carbon filament or strip coiled and connected to platinum contact wires.” (Approved by the U.S. Patent office on Jan. 27, 1880, this was, perhaps, the most famous of his 1,093 patents, along with those for the invention of the phonograph and a process for making motion pictu...