...Thomas Edison was born in Milan, Ohio, and grew up in Port Huron, Michigan. He was the seventh and last child of Samuel Ogden Edison, Edison developed hearing problems at an early age. The cause of his deafness has been attributed to a bout of scarlet fever during childhood and recurring untreated middle-ear infections Edison's family moved to Port Huron, Michigan, after the railroad bypassed Milan in 1854 and business declined;[10] his life there was bittersweet. Edison sold candy and newspapers on trains running from Port Huron to Detroit, and sold vegetables to supplement his income. He also studied qualitative analysis, and conducted chemical experiments on the train until an accident prohibited further work of the kind Edison obtained the exclusive right to sell newspapers on the road, and, with the aid of four assistants, he set in type and printed the Grand Trunk Herald, which he sold with his other papers.[11] This began Edison's long streak of entrepreneurial ventures, as he discovered his talents as a businessman. These talents eventually led him to found 14 companies, including General Electric, which is still one of the largest publicly traded companies in the world Edison began his career as an inventor in Newark, New Jersey, with the automatic repeater and his other improved telegraphic devices, but the invention that first gained him notice was the phonograph in 1877 This accomplishment was so unexpected by the public at large as to appear almost magical...
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...BIOGRAPHY Thomas Alva Edison was born on February 11, 1847 in Milan, Ohio; the seventh and last child of Samuel and Nancy Edison. When Edison was seven his family moved to Port Huron, Michigan. Edison lived here until he struck out on his own at the age of sixteen. Edison had very little formal education as a child, attending school only for a few months. He was taught reading, writing, and arithmetic by his mother, but was always a very curious child and taught himself much by reading on his own. This belief in self-improvement remained throughout his life. He forebears lived in New Jersey until their loyalty to the British crown during the American Revolution drove them to Nova Scotia, Canada. From there, later generations relocated to Ontario and fought the Americans in the War of 1812. Edison's mother, Nancy Elliott, was originally from New York until her family moved to Vienna, Canada, where she met Sam Edison, Jr., whom she later married. When Sam became involved in an unsuccessful insurrection in Ontario in the 1830s, he was forced to flee to the United States and in 1839 they made their home in Milan, Ohio. He was born to Sam and Nancy on February 11, 1847, in Milan, Ohio. Known as "Al" in his youth, Edison was the youngest of seven children, four of whom survived to adulthood. Edison tended to be in poor health when young. To seek a better fortune, Sam Edison moved the family to Port Huron, Michigan, in 1854, where he worked in the lumber business. Edison was a poor...
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...Edison was born in 1847 in the canal town of Milan, Ohio, the last of seven children. His mother, Nancy, had been a school teacher; his father, Samuel, was a Canadian political firebrand who was exiled from his country. The family moved to Port Huron, Michigan, when Thomas was seven. He attended school briefly but was principally educated at home by his mother and in his father's library. In 1859 Edison began working on a local branch of the Grand Trunk Railroad, selling newspapers, magazines, and candy. At one point he printed a newspaper on the train, and he also conducted chemical experiments in a baggage-car laboratory. By 1862 he had learned enough telegraphy to be employed as an operator in a local office. From 1863 to 1867 he traveled through the Midwest as an itinerant telegrapher. During these years he read widely, studied and experimented with telegraph technology, and generally acquainted himself with electrical science. Early Inventive Career In 1868 Edison became an independent inventor in Boston. Moving to New York the next year, he undertook inventive work for major telegraph companies. With money from those contracts he established a series of manufacturing shops in Newark, New Jersey, where he also employed experimental machinists to assist in his inventive work. Edison soon acquired a reputation as a first-rank inventor. His work included stock tickers, fire alarms, methods of sending simultaneous messages on one wire, and an electrochemical telegraph...
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...Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. Dubbed "The Wizard of Menlo Park", he was one of the first inventors to apply the principles of mass production and large-scale teamwork to the process of invention, and because of that, he is often credited with the creation of the first industrial research laboratory. Edison was a prolific inventor, holding 1,093 US patents in his name, as well as many patents in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. More significant than the number of Edison's patents was the widespread impact of his inventions: electric light and power utilities, sound recording, and motion pictures all established major new industries world-wide. Edison's inventions contributed to mass communication and, in particular, telecommunications. These included a stock ticker, a mechanical vote recorder, a battery for an electric car, electrical power, recorded music and motion pictures. His advanced work in these fields was an outgrowth of his early career as a telegraph operator. Edison developed a system of electric-power generation and distribution to homes, businesses, and factories – a crucial development in the modern industrialized world. His first power station was on Pearl Street in Manhattan, New York. His father had to escape from Canada because he took part in...
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...Thomas Alva Edison could probably be properly called Mr. Electricity because of the many inventions and millions of dollars that he used and invested with electricity. From the invention of the light bulb, to the invention of the phonograph Thomas Edison made electricity a reality for the masses. And one of his greatest influences was from his Father a very positive man. A long with the great influence he had upon Americans and the world. He sparked the movement of today’s computer ran world. Thomas Edison was born February 11, 1847 in Milan, Ohio. He was the seventh and last child of Samuel Edison, Jr. and Nancy Elliot Edison. His parents had no special mechanical background. His mother was a former schoolteacher; his father was a jack-of-all-trades - from running a grocery store to real estate. When Thomas was seven years old, his family moved to Port Huron, Michigan. He was a very curious child who asked a lot of questions. "Edison began school in Port Huron, Michigan when he was seven. His teacher, the Reverend G. B. Engle considered Thomas to be a dull student."(Allen pg. 22) Thomas especially did not like math. And he asked too many questions. The story goes that the teacher whipped students who asked questions. After three months of school, the teacher called Thomas, "addled". Thomas was pissed. The next day, Nancy Edison brought Thomas back to school to talk with Reverend Engle. The teacher told his mother that Thomas couldn't learn. Nancy also became angry at...
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...Thomas Elva Edison was many things, he was an innovator, inventor, engineer, businessman and much more;born on February 11, 1847, in Milan, Ohio, Thomas Edison ascended from modest beginnings to "The Wizard of Menlo Park" an inventor of major technology, setting up a shop in Menlo Park,and developing many products ,compiling a total 1094 patents, that included the telegraph, Magnetic Iron Ore Separator,the first commercially practical electric light bulb, Kinetograph (a camera for motion pictures)and Phonograph(a would record the spoken voice and play it back).In addition to his talent for invention, Thomas Edison was also a talented businessman, and manufacturer, often making his inventions well know using his incredible marketing skills.The...
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...Thomas Edison The first person who invented light bulb in the world is Thomas Edison; he was born on February 11 1847 in Milano and was the youngest sibling out of seven. Thomas family had moved to Port Huron where he had spent most of his child hood where his family lived at. His father Samuel Ogden Edison is a telegraph operator and that is where Thomas became intrested in communications. Thomas edision family was poor didnt have much of his child hood, and wasnt academicly smart at school. His mother took him for granted as he dropped out from school so his mother started to teach him at home because she knew he had something to live for during his life.Thomas then took that in and learnt a lesson as he didnt want to dissapoint his mother....
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...Thomas Alva Edison was the most prolific inventor in American history. He amassed a record 1,093 patents covering key innovations and minor improvements in wide range of fields, including telecommunications, electric power, sound recording, motion pictures, primary and storage batteries, and mining and cement technology. As important, he broadened the notion of invention to encompass what we now call innovation-invention, research, development, and commercialization-and invented the industrial research laboratory. Edison's role as an innovator is evident not only in his two major laboratories at Menlo Park and West Orange in New Jersey but in more than 300 companies formed worldwide to manufacture and market his inventions, many of which carried the Edison name, including some 200 Edison illuminating companies. Early Life Edison was born in 1847 in the canal town of Milan, Ohio, the last of seven children. His mother, Nancy, had been a school teacher; his father, Samuel, was a Canadian political firebrand who was exiled from his country. The family moved to Port Huron, Michigan, when Thomas was seven. He attended school briefly but was principally educated at home by his mother and in his father's library. In 1859 Edison began working on a local branch of the Grand Trunk Railroad, selling newspapers, magazines, and candy. At one point he printed a newspaper on the train, and he also conducted chemical experiments in a baggage-car laboratory. By 1862 he had learned enough...
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...Thomas Edison: Inside the Mind of a Genius Thomas Alva Edison, perhaps America’s greatest inventor created many devices that influenced the world as it entered into a new era that included electricity. Although great as an inventor and entrepreneur, his personal life was in most accounts is said to be the complete opposite. My research sought out clues that might explain some of the personal views Edison had on life, politics, and religion; and how they may have influenced his life outside the laboratory. Thomas Alva Edison, nicknamed “Al” or “Little Al” was born on 1847 in the town of Milan, Ohio. He was the youngest of seven children; his father Samuel by tradition was a third generation farmer, and his mother Nancy a schoolteacher. At an early age Al was diagnosed with a hearing impairment, and because of this had very little formal education as teachers thought Al was mentally challenged. Being a schoolteacher, his mother Nancy decided to home school Al where he excelled in reading. Edison learned of the mystery of death early in his childhood. He and one of his friends went out wade in a swimming hole at a nearby creek. The two jumped into the water however only Edison surfaced. As the youngster called out for his friend, only bubbles rose to the surface leaving Edison to wonder where he had gone. Edison swam to the shore where he waited for hours for his friend, only to leave for home after he failed to return. It wasn’t until the police arrived at his home did...
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...RESEARCH PAPER) Intro paragraph and thesis: Thomas Alva Edison was born on February 11, 1847 in Milan, Ohio. Edison had very little formal education (only a few months learning in school) as a child because of asking too many questions and then the teacher thought he’s a dull kid. He was taught reading, writing, and arithmetic by his mother, but was always a very curious child and taught himself much by reading on his own. This belief in self-improvement remained throughout his life. Edison could probably be properly called Mr. Electricity because of the many inventions and millions of dollars that he used and invested with electricity. From the invention of the light bulb, to the invention of the phonograph Thomas Edison made electricity a reality for the masses. He sparked the movement of today's computer ran world. Among his most notable inventions are the microphone, the phonograph, the electric lamp and light bulb, and the motion picture machine. He was the first to observe that electrons are emitted from a heated cathode, which was then dubbed the "Edison Effect." Edison is no doubt considered to be one of the greatest inventors in the world because of his numerous contributions to modern technology. A scientific genius who received only three months of formal schooling, Edison registered more than 1,300 patents (exclusive rights to make, use, or sell) for new inventions during his lifetime. Topic sentence 1: Edison was an exceptional inventor because he pooled resources...
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...Albert Einstein Albert Einstein was born at Ulm, in Württemberg, Germany, on March 14, 1879. Six weeks later the family moved to Munich, where he later on began his schooling at the Luitpold Gymnasium. Later, they moved to Italy and Albert continued his education at Aarau, Switzerland and in 1896 he entered the Swiss Federal Polytechnic School in Zurich to be trained as a teacher in physics and mathematics. In 1901, the year he gained his diploma, he acquired Swiss citizenship and, as he was unable to find a teaching post, he accepted a position as technical assistant in the Swiss Patent Office. In 1905 he obtained his doctor's degree. During his stay at the Patent Office, and in his spare time, he produced much of his remarkable work and in 1908 he was appointed Privatdozent in Berne. In 1909 he became Professor Extraordinary at Zurich, in 1911 Professor of Theoretical Physics at Prague, returning to Zurich in the following year to fill a similar post. In 1914 he was appointed Director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Physical Institute and Professor in the University of Berlin. He became a German citizen in 1914 and remained in Berlin until 1933 when he renounced his citizenship for political reasons and emigrated to America to take the position of Professor of Theoretical Physics at Princeton*. He became a United States citizen in 1940 and retired from his post in 1945. After World War II, Einstein was a leading figure in the World Government Movement, he was offered the Presidency...
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...One of the most famous and prolific inventors, Thomas Alva Edison exerted a tremendous influence on modern life. It is undeniable that a variety of invention accelerated the arrival of modern life. Especially the electric light, it enriches people's night life. Surprisingly, he acquired an astounding 1,093 patents in his 84 years. Multiple of patents and inventions bring him a lot of fame and fortune. Childhood Thomas Alva Edison was born Sam and Nancy in February 11, 1847, in Milan, Ohio. Alden and he is Samuel Edison and Nancy Matthews Eliot's seventh son. In 1854, to seek a better fortune, Edison‘s father moved the family to Port Huron, Michigan, where he worked in the lumber business. But in the same year, Edison father's business has...
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...Thomas Edison was the best known inventor of his time and probably is still the most respected inventor. He has invented so many inventions that have impacted our lives deeply. Some of his inventions are the electric light bulb, phonograph, motion picture camera and many more. His inventions are the ones we use every day to live. He also improved other people’s inventions, like the telegraph. Our lives would change and be totally different without him and his inventions. I believe Thomas Edison has shaped the world and changed our living situation. He has shaped this new era and style of living for the better. We would not be in this technological era now days without Thomas Edison. Thomas Edison’s ideas and development has created inventions which has impacted the world deeply. We are surrounded by his inventions and many of them are every day essentials. The light bulb is one example because who doesn’t use a light bulb? We use a light bulb every second of our life. A light bulb...
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...“Thomas Edison” “I never perfected an invention that I did not think about in terms of the service it might give others, I find out what the world needs, then I proceed to invent.” Thomas Edison once said. Thomas Alva Edison was one of America's greatest inventors. He was known for inventing the light bulb, phonograph, telegraph, and also work with electricity (“Edison” 78). Thomas Alva Edison was born on February 11, 1847. Edison was the youngest out of Sam and Nancy's seven children. Edison grew up in Milan, Ohio. Later he and his parent's move to Port Huron, Michigan for better fortune. (“Biography of Thomas Edison ”). 1854, Edison started school, he was to poor to finish, so his mother took him out and home schooled him. In 1859, young Edison took on a job selling newspaper and candy on the Grand Trunk Railroad to Detroit. At the age of twelve, Edison lost almost all his hearing. People started blaming the conductor for the accident. (“Biography”) Thomas A. Edison was-known for being a hero in 1862 for saving a three-year-old from a boxcar. For helping the young child, J.U. Mackenzie, taught Edison railroad telegraphy as a reward. (“Edison” 78), That winter, he took a job as a telegraph operator in Port Huron. 1868 Thomas moved to Boston , where he worked in the Western Union office as a telegraph operator. In the middle of 1869, Edison moved to New York City. Edison did not have a place to stay so one of his close friends, Franklin L. Pope, allowed Edison to...
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...History of the Power Industry Power is so readily available and convenient these days that we do not often think about how these modern day necessity came to be. The electric power industry, in the United States, was started by Thomas Edison in the 1880s. Prior to that, there were small systems being sold to industrial companies to power factories but electricity has not yet been distributed. In the early years of the power industry, it was led by Thomas Edison, Charles Brush and Werner von Siemens, who were creating direct current systems to provide power. The first power station in the United States was called the Pearl Street Station and it serviced roughly 80 customers in the Manhattan area of New York. This is an extremely small number compared to the billions of people that use electricity today. Thomas Edison’s Pearl Street Station was originally started to be able to provide electricity to his new invention, the light bulb. The early direct current systems worked great for supplying electricity to places within one mile of the power supply but people wanted to send power over long distances. In order to send DC power long distances, it had to be sent at a very high voltage. This led to the HVDC method which allowed the power to travel longer distance. The HVDC method was short-lived and in in the late 1880s and early 1890s alternating current came out. AC power was engineered by Oliver Shallenberger of Westinghouse and is much more versatile than direct...
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