Thomas Edison

Most people know him as the Father of Light.

He was so much more….

•"Genius is one per cent inspiration and ninety-nine per cent perspiration. Accordingly, a  'genius' is often merely a talented person who has done all of his or her homework."  

At 14; Edison saved a boy’s life. The boy’s father was so thankful he

taught Edison Morse code and telegraphy. This started Edison’s

work on telegraphs.

Edison invented the

hand operated

phonograph in 1877.

Later they became electric.

Edison wanted the people to all be able to

have a phonograph in

their home.

The Edison light bulb was created in 1879. He used bamboo he found in Florida for the

first filaments. Later, he used metal.

Edison’s greatest achievement was creating electric light and heat. He changed the world forever. (1883)

Did you know that

Edison created the first talking

doll? 1889

Edison created the first movie camera. (1903)

The cylinder phonograph

was replaced with a

diamond disc phonograph around 1905.

Edison worked with concrete as a building material. Here is a

house being poured of complete concrete.

(1909)

After 50,000 experiments, Edison created the first nickel-iron alkaline

battery. (1910)

Edison cared deeply for miners. Many of his inventions were for their safety when extracting ore. He created a battery-

operated miners hat light. (Approx. 1910)

In 1912, Edison created the Kinetoscope that put sounds and pictures together. He also produced

around 80 motion pictures.

In 1913, Edison created an electric car that ran by batteries. He also created

electric windshield wipers.

Edison created the first search light in 1915.

Edison helped Eastman Kodak develop his cameras. (1928)

Edison used plants for many

of his inventions. He used the plant seen here to

create a type of rubber for his

friend Firestone, of “Firestone Tires.” (1929)

Edison and Ford had houses next door to each other in Fort Meyers, Florida. The houses are now a neat museum to visit.

Edison’s office

and lab are part of the

museum when

you visit.

Edison had the first

swimming pool in

Florida. It was made out of concrete and fed by a water

system he created.

Best friends for many years…Edison’s 82nd birthday with H. Ford, H. Firestone, and President Hoover

When Edison died the world mourned. To honor his memory Americans turned off their lights.

America was dark as they remembered the “Father of Light.”

He was 84. October 18, 1931

References/Websites

• http://memory.loc.gov

• http://www.edison-ford-estate.com

• http://www.tomedison.org/history.html

• http://thomasedison.com/edquote

• Http://americanhistory.si.edu/edison