Thomas Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman who has been described as America's greatest inventor. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures.
February 11, 1847
Thomas Alva Edison is born.
Edison starts school. Same year, Edison’s mother took him out of school.
Edison started asking very hard science questions.
Edison could not return to school because he had severe hearing problems.
Edison moved to Boston, MA to be a telegraph operator.
Electric Voting Machine
Edison registered his first patent for the Electric Voting Machine.
Edison moved to New York.
Universal Stock Printer
He developed the Universal Stock Printer.
The telegraph company paid him $40,000 for his improved machine.
With the money from his Stock Printer and other inventions, he opened a labratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey.
Edison attended the Centennial Exhibition World fair in Philadelphia, PA
Phonograph
Edison worked on improving bells telephone. As a result he invented the first Phonograph.
Edison was invited to the White House to demonstrate the phonograph to president Rutherford B. Hayes.
Lightbulb
Edison produced a lightbulb, that could last more than 14 hours, more then any other lightbulb.
By the time Edison died, every American had both electric lights, and a phonograph.
