Thomas Edison not only touched the United States with his inventions, but his contribution and productivity provided the transformation of the world with his unique strive to advance commonly used appliances, he changed the nation in a prolific way. His invention of the incandescent light bulb, provided larger power grids across the world. His invention of the battery provided a longer lasting and more reliable type of power. His addition to the already invented electric generator, he proved a hypothesis wrong with his outside of the box thinking, and discovered a new way to produce more voltage. All of his success did the opposite of slowing him down, it kept him producing, and kept him striving, he once again advanced another commonly used appliance, which was the kinetographic camera, he had a big influence in the advancement of a different type of film, and a sprocket system, that would move the film throughout the camera, this was commonly known as the motion picture camera. Due to all of his effort, Thomas Edison was a famous inventor whose inventions were beneficial and changed the world in a dynamic way.
Edison was born on February 11, 1847 in Milan, Ohio, his father was a political activist and his mother was a school teacher, who really helped edison with schooling after he was said to be difficult, and had trouble paying attention. Edison had a life of Scarlet fever and ear infections, which led him closer to losing his hearing throughout the years, but his loss of hearing is misconceived for this issue, it is conceived as for another instance. In 1854 Edisons family moved to Port Huron Michigan, and attended school, and this is when he was portrayed as a difficult child and due to this, his mother pulled him from public schooling. Then took on the challenge of homeschooling him for his own benefit, which turned fortuitous in the future for him due to his desire to learn independently and on his own. He took off gaining all kinds of useful knowledge, reading every book he could get his hands on lead him to a bright and knowledge filled life.
When Edison was 12 years old he pressured his parents into letting him sell newspapers for the local railroad. He started to publish his own small newspapers, with his original name being “The Grand Trunk Herald”. Edison not only used the train for his newspaper business, he also used it to manage chemical experiments in a train car. All experiments did not go well, an experiment went wrong and caught fire, and due to this, the conductor rushed in and hit Edison on both ears, this being another reason for hearing loss. Edison was kicked off the train, but started to work with the railroad, and during his time working, a three year old was close to being run over by an oncoming train, but Edison jumped to action and saved the child. The child’s father was very appreciative of Edisons’ actions and rewarded him by teaching him to run a telegraph machine, which prepared Edison for his future in wiring and Electrical science.
In the beginning, Edison needed a place to do his research and studies, but not having a lab dedicated to Edison’s inventions did not stop him. He had started on several inventions, and eventually created the quadraplex telegraph transmitter, which he eventually sold the rights to, and made 30,000 dollars, which he used to open his first lab in Menlo Park, which was just the start to his independant future. Some of his most known inventions were created in his two labs, such as the incandescent light bulb, and the telegraph. These inventions got him recognition, and within years, he was an influential person to the world, due to his advancements and developments of things we still use today. Edison’s inventions in this lab led him to be known as “The Wizard of Menlo Park.”
Edison took this experience and used it to be one of the most influential people in the world, after his experience he really started to experiment. He made thousands of inventions, and improvements on things that were already invented. Learning to use a telegraph was just a start to his beneficial career, and his experience with the device got him familiar and more interested in all types of electrical science. Soon, Edison started to use his curiosity and started to improve how the telegraph worked. He learned while playing around with it, that the movement of paper tape through the machine produced what was being said by the person, he then got a stylus, or a long needle and spoke into it, while moving it across the paper, the first words spoken onto it were “Mary had a little lamb,” and this invention of the phonograph lead him to the nickname “The Wizard of Menlo Park.”
In 1878 Edison focused on improving the gas fueled light, attempting to make it safer, longer lasting, and more affordable, all of which he succeeded in. Scientists and researchers had been working on this for over 50 years, but with a year of research in studying, Edison had his first breakthrough in 1879 by finding out that using a platinum filament it had burned and worked efficiently, but it wasn’t a cheap enough resource. In 1880 Edison found that using a piece of carbonized bamboo was a good alternative, it was cheaper and very long lasting. This was an influence on the whole world, it provided safer light for their homes, and even christmas trees, this being an important invention for all of the world.
In the 1900s Edison had an attempt to improve a battery, one that was lighter, lasted longer, and wanted something three times the power of an original battery, so that he could power an electric car, this being another influence on the world with his genius like mentality, using it to improve and advance things we see today. He conducted experiments with lots of different materials, and in 1903 he finally finished his product. After a couple of years there was word going around that the batteries were not any better than the original lead batteries, so he immediately closed his factory down and continued to research and try to improve the known inconveniences. He soon released an improved version that used more expensive materials, and this of which was used in Henry Ford’s famous Model T. However Edison did not fulfill his dreams of powering the automotive, only because the battery was not powerful enough with enough voltage, but it was used efficiently for mine lamps or a backup power source for railroad crossings. This battery is another influence on the advancements of modern life with his genius-like mentality, using it to improve and advance things we see today.
Eventually, Edison recognized another invention he had an idea to advance, which was the electric generator. Experts had thought that a generator would work best if its internal resistance was equal to the external resistance of the circuit, but edison learned that this was wrong and soon developed his version of the generator. His version of the generator consisted of a smaller internal resistance, which provided more external output of power. He formed his generator with large bi-polar magnets, and the force produced by those magnets is what produced the energy and power to be released. This generator produced enough power to fuel his incandescent light bulbs and lamps. This invention was a benefit to the world by providing a source of electricity to power all types of appliances, wherever they were needed, this was another one of his major discoveries in electrical science.
Later, Edison once again found another invention he could advance, which was the kinetographic camera. This camera was based on the original camera, but was advanced with a different type of film, and used to capture all the sunlight or artificial light in the area. His camera was used for motion pictures, and he later joined forces with other film producers and formed a company to produce motion pictures and films. This alliance was named “The Motion Picture Patents Company.” This was a benefit to today’s world, by providing more advanced features, and ideas, for later modifiers to study and change into cameras we use today.
In this conclusion, Thomas Edison was a famous inventor that changed the way we use things today in a beneficial and advanced way. Edison was not a bright child in his younger days, but when homeschooled by his mother, he took off, he started writing newspapers and selling them on the railroad. He was very interested in science, and after a near tragic event that Edison stopped from happening, he was taught to operate a telegraph, this boosted his interest in electrical science, which led him to his developing career. Edison started to advance the telegraph, which he succeeded in, and another advancement he made was improving the gas fueled light, by researching and testing different filaments, Edison soon found two filaments, that were cheaper, and lasted several hours, his carbonized bamboo filament would burn for 1200 hours, this advancement was a major breakthrough for the young inventor. He later began to advance the kinetographic camera, and the electric generator, both of which he succeeded in. In the words of Edison, you did not have to be smart, or academically independent, all it takes is effort from yourself, even when you have none left to give, with integrity, and strive, you can accomplish anything, “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration. Great accomplishments depend not so much on ingenuity as on hard work”(Thomas Edison).
