Thomas Edison is one of the most famous inventors in history, having improved and invented the light bulb, the phonograph, the movie camera, and other devices that have greatly changed our lives.
In this video, we’ll talk about the life of Edison.
Early life
Thomas Edison was born on February 11, 1847, in Milan, Ohio.
He wasn’t born a genius; in fact, he had trouble in school.
He was inquisitive and loved to ask detailed questions about how things worked, which often annoyed his teachers.
Thomas eventually dropped out of school after a few months and his mother decided to home-school him, where he thrived.
As a boy, Thomas loved science and experiments.
When he was 12, he got a job selling newspapers and candy on a train.
He used a corner of the train car as a mini-laboratory to do experiments.
One day, an experiment caused a small fire, and he was asked to stop.
But this didn’t discourage him, his curiosity only grew.
The Inventor’s Journey
Thomas’s first big invention came in 1868 when he was 21 years old.
It was an electric vote recorder, but it wasn’t a success.
However, he didn’t give up.
He moved to Newark, New Jersey, where he worked hard on creating new inventions.
In 1876, he opened his famous laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey.
This was like a factory for ideas, filled with tools, materials, and assistants.
Here, Thomas worked on his most famous invention: the phonograph, a device that could record and play sound.
People were amazed and even called him the “Wizard of Menlo Park.”
Lighting Up the World
Edison’s most well-known achievement was the practical electric light bulb.
He didn’t invent the light bulb itself, but he made it affordable, long-lasting, and safe to use.
In 1879, after testing thousands of materials, he found that a carbon filament worked best.
His invention lit up homes, streets, and factories, changing how people lived and worked.
But Edison didn’t stop there.
He also developed the first power station in New York City, making electricity available to more people.
The Legacy of Hard Work
Edison continued to invent throughout his life, with over 1,000 patents to his name.
He worked on things like the motion picture camera, better batteries, and even early communication devices.
His success wasn’t just because of his ideas, it was because of his persistence and hard work.
He once said, “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.”
Thomas Edison passed away on October 18, 1931, at the age of 84.
His inventions shaped the modern world and inspired future inventors to dream big and work hard.
Edison’s life teaches us that curiosity, determination, and hard work can lead to incredible achievements, even if you start out as an ordinary kid.