Ask a question. When Edison General Electric merged with its leading competitor Thompson-Houston in 1892, Edison was dropped from the name, and the company became simply General Electric. Eight months earlier in January 1882, to demonstrate feasibility, Edison had switched on the 93kW first steam-generating power station at Holborn Viaduct in London. He then experimented with different grasses and canes such as hemp, and palmetto, before settling on bamboo as the best filament. Edison invented the motion picture and created a practical electric light bulb that revolutionized homes and businesses. Try it now Create an account Ask a question. With the development of transformers in Europe and by Westinghouse Electric in the US in 18851886, it became possible to transmit AC long distances over thinner and cheaper wires, and "step down" (reduce) the voltage at the destination for distribution to users. Ask a question Ask a question. [119] Mina died in 1947. Edison Biography - Thomas Edison National Historical Park After devising a commercially viable electric light bulb on October 21, 1879, Edison developed an electric "utility" to compete with the existing gas light utilities. Bayer relied on Chemische Fabrik von Heyden, in Piscataway, New Jersey, to convert phenol to salicylic acid, which they converted to aspirin. Despite the failure of his mining company, the Edison Ore Milling Company, Edison used some of the materials and equipment to produce cement.[103]. Despite the common belief that Edison did not use mathematics, analysis of his notebooks reveal that he was an astute user of mathematical analysis conducted by his assistants such as Francis Robbins Upton, for example, determining the critical parameters of his electric lighting system including lamp resistance by an analysis of Ohm's Law, Joule's Law and economics. Edison's first telegraphy job away from Port Huron was at Stratford Junction, Ontario, on the Grand Trunk Railway. He built two plants to produce raw material benzene at Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and Bessemer, Alabama, replacing supplies previously from Germany. 5 minute read. After his demonstration of the telegraph, Edison was not sure that his original plan to sell it for $4,000 to $5,000 was right, so he asked Western Union to make a bid. Thomas Edison reciting "Mary Had a Little Lamb" in 1929. Edison is credited with designing and producing the first commercially available fluoroscope, a machine that uses X-rays to take radiographs. In 1881, Thomas Edison's lightbulb cost one dollar, which would be the equivalent of more than $23 today! Media kit. The representatives decided to give a cubic foot of solid copper weighing 486 pounds with their gratitude inscribed on it in appreciation for his part in the "continuous stimulation in the copper industry".[87][88][89]. The entire laboratory and factory complex eventually covered more than twenty acres and employed 10,000 people at its peak during World War One (1914-1918). Edison's major innovation was the establishment of an industrial research lab in 1876. Edison also manufactured aniline dyes, which previously had been supplied by the German dye trust. However, Thomas Edison did not invent the light bulb. Thomas Edison lived here with Mina until his death. Edison was an inventer and business executive, and thus he did not do much in the way of basic science. He assisted in experiments on the telephone, phonograph, electric railway, iron ore separator, electric lighting, and other developing inventions. Thomas Edison, American inventor who, singly or jointly, held a world-record 1,093 patents and created the worlds first industrial research laboratory. Our experts can answer your tough homework and study questions. "[142][143] He was a vegetarian but not a vegan in actual practice, at least near the end of his life. [7] Edison married twice and fathered six children. [129][130], Wanting to be an inventor, but not having much of an aptitude for it, Thomas Edison's son, Thomas Alva Edison Jr., became a problem for his father and his father's business. Create your account. Start today. [50] In 1840, British scientist Warren de la Rue developed an efficient light bulb using a coiled platinum filament but the high cost of platinum kept the bulb from becoming a commercial success. By the time Edison introduced his new alkaline battery, the gasoline powered car had so improved that electric vehicles were becoming increasingly less common, being used mainly as delivery vehicles in cities. Numerous factories had been built through the years around the original laboratory, and the staff of the entire complex had grown into the thousands. [65] To avoid a possible court battle with yet another competitor, Joseph Swan, who held an 1880 British patent on a similar incandescent electric lamp,[66] he and Swan formed a joint company called Ediswan to manufacture and market the invention in Britain. Phones are monitored as staff are available with messages being checked Wednesday - Sunday. By 1911, Thomas Edison had built a vast industrial operation in West Orange. 07052. WebAnswer and Explanation: Thomas Edison had six siblings. Mahen Theatre in Brno (in what is now the Czech Republic), opened in 1882, and was the first public building in the world to use Edison's electric lamps. In addition, it cost more to use See full answer below. In 1920, Edison spoke to American Magazine, saying that he had been working on a device for some time to see if it was possible to communicate with the dead. Edison argued that, if the government can produce debt-based money, it could equally as well produce money that was a credit to the taxpayer. Examine the life of Thomas Edison and learn about his inventions that brought new technology to the world, including one of his most famous inventions of all, the light bulb. When Edison was seven his family moved to Port Huron, Michigan. With more than a thousand patents in his name, Thomas Alva Edison was the worlds most prolific inventor of the 20th century. [49] He began by tackling the problem of creating a long-lasting incandescent lamp, something that would be needed for indoor use. [53] He is reported to have believed this diet would restore his health. On February 24, 1886, at the age of 39, Edison married the 20-year-old Mina Miller (18651947) in Akron, Ohio. One of particular importance to Edison was phenol, which was used to make phonograph recordspresumably as phenolic resins of the Bakelite type. [42] In April 1878, Edison traveled to Washington to demonstrate the phonograph before the National Academy of Sciences, Congressmen, Senators and US President Hayes. He was born to Sam and Nancy Edison in Milan, Ohio. Edison created the Edison Illuminating Company, later known as General Electric. This type was put in use in 1890[47] and was used in all telephones along with the Bell receiver until the 1980s. With more than a thousand patents to his name, the legendary inventor's innovations helped define the modern world. Thomas Alva Edison (nicknamed Al) was born on February 11, 1847, in Milan, Ohio. The following is a list of people who worked for Thomas Edison in his laboratories at Menlo Park or West Orange or at the subsidiary electrical businesses that he supervised. The idea of electric lighting was not new, and a number of people had worked on, and even developed forms of electric lighting. "[139], Edison was a supporter of women's suffrage. The incandescent light bulb patented by Edison also began to gain widespread popularity in Europe as well. The tremendous amount of capital needed to develop the incandescent lighting industry had necessitated the involvement of investment bankers such as J.P. Morgan. About a dozen were design patents, which protect an ornamental design for up to 14 years. Parallel to expanding competition between Edison and the AC companies was rising public furor over a series of deaths in the spring of 1888 caused by pole mounted high voltage alternating current lines. Production began the first week of September, one month after hostilities began in Europe. WebAnswer to: What discoveries did Thomas Edison make? Thomas Edison started with very humble beginnings and learned a great deal from his mother. A year later, while vacationing at a friends house in New England, Edison met Mina Miller and fell in love. WebThomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. Edison began working at an The development of the telegraph was the first step in the communication revolution, and the telegraph industry expanded rapidly in the second half of the 19th century. Forbes And The Mystery Of The Spirit Phone", "Is Thomas Edison's last breath preserved in a test tube in the Henry Ford Museum? [18][19][20], Thomas Edison began his career as a news butcher, selling newspapers, candy and vegetables on the trains running from Port Huron to Detroit. WebAnswer and Explanation: Become a Study.com member to unlock this answer! In 1903, when the owners of Luna Park, Coney Island announced they would execute Topsy the elephant by strangulation, poisoning, and electrocution (with the electrocution part ultimately killing the elephant), Edison Manufacturing sent a crew to film it, releasing it that same year with the title Electrocuting an Elephant. As he got older, Edison believed his hearing loss allowed him to avoid distraction and concentrate more easily on his work. [112], Edison was said to have been influenced by a popular fad diet in his last few years; "the only liquid he consumed was a pint of milk every three hours". View this answer. Here Edison began to change the world. WebThomas Edison, rarely, had anything to do with the studios, as they operated under his name. He had no formal education, but continued to learn throughout his lifetime by reading and observation. He was born in Milan, Ohio in 1847. Dally made himself an enthusiastic human guinea pig for the fluoroscopy project and was exposed to a poisonous dose of radiation; he later died (at the age of 39) of injuries related to the exposure, mediastinal cancer. He seems to have spent much of his free time reading scientific, and technical books, and also had the opportunity at this time to learn how to operate a telegraph. Famously, he was quoted in the New York Times as stating: "Gold is a relic of Julius Caesar, and interest is an invention of Satan. By the end of 1887, Edison Electric was losing market share to Westinghouse, who had built 68 AC-based power stations to Edison's 121 DC-based stations. General Electric now controlled three-quarters of the US electrical business and would compete with Westinghouse for the AC market. Edison's DC plants could not deliver electricity to customers more than one mile from the plant, and left a patchwork of unsupplied customers between plants. [4] These inventions, which include the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and early versions of the electric light bulb, have had a widespread impact on the modern industrialized world. The phonograph patent, in contrast, was unprecedented in describing the first device to record and reproduce sounds. As he started to fall asleep and his muscles relaxed, the ball would strike the floor, waking him with insights into his problems. The development of the electric chair was used in an attempt to portray AC as having a greater lethal potential than DC and smear Westinghouse at the same time via Edison colluding with Brown and Westinghouse's chief AC rival, the Thomson-Houston Electric Company, to make sure the first electric chair was powered by a Westinghouse AC generator. Thomas Edison. There was more chemical knowhow employed in the development of the incandescent electric light than there was knowledge of electricity and electrical engineering. It is said that German companies bought up supplies of phenol to block production of ammonium picrate. These early bulbs all had flaws such as an extremely short life and requiring a high electric current to operate which made them difficult to apply on a large scale commercially. In August 1931 Edison collapsed at Glenmont. He turned a $50-a-week profit by age 13, most of which went to buying equipment for electrical and chemical experiments. Edison's work on rubber took place largely at his research laboratory in Fort Myers, which has been designated as a National Historic Chemical Landmark. Create your account. She was born Mina Miller, the daughter of a prolific inventor who was also a millionaire. WebView this answer. Edison's philosophy of nonviolence extended to animals as well, about which he stated: "Nonviolence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. WebLegacy. [145], In May 1922, he published a proposal, entitled "A Proposed Amendment to the Federal Reserve Banking System". In 1866, at age 19, Edison moved [63] While working for Maxim, Latimer invented a process for making carbon filaments for light bulbs and helped install broad-scale lighting systems for New York City, Philadelphia, Montreal, and London. Early in his career he worked as a telegraph operator, which inspired some of his earliest inventions. With the United States inching closer towards the involvement in World War One, the Naval Consulting Board was an attempt to organize the talents of the leading scientists and inventors in the United States for the benefit of the American armed forces. Ultimately, his entrepreneurship was central to the formation of some 14 companies, including General Electric, formerly one of the largest publicly traded companies in the world. During the next five years, Edison worked in Newark inventing and manufacturing devices that greatly improved the speed and efficiency of the telegraph. The fundamental design of Edison's fluoroscope is still in use today, although Edison abandoned the project after nearly losing his own eyesight and seriously injuring his assistant, Clarence Dally. Crude rubber had to be imported and was becoming increasingly expensive. Among his most notable inventions are the phonograph, the motion-picture Over his desk Edison displayed a placard with Sir Joshua Reynolds' famous quotation: "There is no expedient to which a man will not resort to avoid the real labor of thinking. One notion is that the inventor could not grasp the more abstract theories behind AC and was trying to avoid developing a system he did not understand. Besides his experimenting Edison also probably had access to the 1899 patents for a nickeliron battery by the Swedish inventor Waldemar Jungner. Become a member and unlock all Study Answers. With 1,093 US patents in his name, as well as patents in other countries, Edison is regarded as the most prolific inventor in American history. [8] He was the seventh and last child of Samuel Ogden Edison Jr. (18041896, born in Marshalltown, Nova Scotia) and Nancy Matthews Elliott (18101871, born in Chenango County, New York). He has got a new thing and it will require a great deal of experimenting to get it working practically. Phones are monitored as staff are available with messages being checked Wednesday - Sunday. [110][109] The actual nature of this invention remained a mystery, as there were no details revealed to the public. He did the electromechanical design while his employee William Kennedy Dickson, a photographer, worked on the photographic and optical development. Edison next undertook his greatest challenge, the development of a practical incandescent, electric light. Edison actually worked with Nikola Tesla before they became rivals in a dispute about using electricity. The new chapter details Edison's theories of the afterlife and the scientific basis by which communication with the dead might be achieved.[109]. They were married on February 24, 1886. If a ranger is unavailable to take your call, we kindly ask that you leave us a detailed message with return contact information and we will be happy to get back to you as soon as possible. In 1930, the year before Edison died, Mina said in an interview about him, "Correct eating is one of his greatest hobbies. Edison spent more time away from the laboratory, working instead at Glenmont. WebIn 1876, Thomas Edison was working on improving the microphones found in telephones, and through his work, he developed a carbon telephone transmitter. Our experts can answer your tough homework and study questions. [84], The laboratory was built after Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Harvey S. Firestone pulled together $75,000 to form the Edison Botanical Research Corporation. WebThomas Alva Edison (1847-1931) was a prolific, American inventor and business person. [106], Edison obtained a US and European patent for his nickeliron battery in 1901 and founded the Edison Storage Battery Company, and by 1904 it had 450 people working there. The materials were then shipped down by boat and were constructed at a cost of $12,000 each, which included the cost of interior furnishings. Edison was able to oblige. Edison began developing a multiplex telegraphic system, which could send two messages simultaneously, in 1874.[31]. In Germany and in Austria-Hungary, the kinetoscope was introduced by the Deutsche-sterreichische-Edison-Kinetoscop Gesellschaft, founded by the Ludwig Stollwerck[97] of the Schokoladen-Ssswarenfabrik Stollwerck & Co of Cologne. The laboratory itself did less original experimental work and instead worked more on refining existing Edison products such as the phonograph. His Edison established a new facility containing all the equipment necessary to work on any invention. High-grade iron ore was scarce on the east coast of the United States and Edison tried to mine low-grade ore. Edison developed a process using rollers and crushers that could pulverize rocks up to 10 tons. Officially the kinetoscope entered Europe when wealthy American businessman Irving T. Bush (18691948) bought from the Continental Commerce Company of Frank Z. Maguire and Joseph D. Baucus a dozen machines. It was built in Menlo Park, a part of Raritan Township (now named Edison Township in his honor) in Middlesex County, New Jersey, with the funds from the sale of Edison's quadruplex telegraph. One of his mentors during those early years was a fellow telegrapher and inventor named Franklin Leonard Pope, who allowed the impoverished youth to live and work in the basement of his Elizabeth, New Jersey, home, while Edison worked for Samuel Laws at the Gold Indicator Company.
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