How Did Thomas Edison Contribute To The Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution was a very important time in our nation’s history. The Industrial Revolution brought about many new opportunities for all Americans, and unbelievable advancements in technology. Though there were numerous changes and innovations during this time period, the contributions of a few great inventors were particularly important. These inventors and the Industrial Revolution helped America become a world power with their mind blowing inventions. These inventors also made it an important time to be an American. The contributions and work of Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, and Eli Whitney, brought our country to the forefront of technology and innovation. Alexander Bell, was born on March 3, 1847 in Edinburgh, Scotland.

According to an article written by Marie Bellis, Edison was the youngest of seven children of Samuel and Nancy Edison. Thomas was the curious one of the bunch, he was always asking questions and trying to figure out how things worked, an article even went so far as to say, “if modern psychology had existed back then. Tom would have probably been deemed a victim of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and been proscribed a hefty dose of the “miracle drug” Ritalin” (Beals). Although a few of the future scientist teachers thought he had a mental issue, his mother thought him to be brilliant, and decided to home school Edison. By age 12 Edison was showing undeniable signs of his unparalleled genius, an article mentioned, “By age 12, Tom had not only completed Gibbon’s rise and fall of the Roman Empire, Sears’ History of the world, and Burton’s Anatomy of Melancholy, he had devoured the World Dictionary of Science and a number of works on Practical Chemistry” (Beals). As Edison continued to grow into a remarkably brilliant mind, his parents found it difficult to teach him, so they hired a tutor to continue teaching their son. When Edison was 16 years old, he left home, and became like many of the young men his age during the time; a working man. Edison taught himself to operate a telegraph when he was only thirteen, and now at 16 had the opportunity to

Although Eli was born on a farm with limited access to the latest technology, young Eli was still very much intrigued with machines and technology. According to Eli’s biography, “As a youth during the Revolutionary War, he became an expert at making nails from a device of his own invention. He later crafted canes and ladies’ hatpins, recognizing opportunity when it arose” (“Eli Whitney Biography”). Similar to Thomas Edison, Eli was not only very intelligent, but also enjoyed building things and figuring out how things worked. According to an article, “Whitney's boyhood was precocious in a way that his neighbors could not comprehend. He had an instinctive understanding of mechanisms. It was a medium in which he could improvise and create in exactly the same way that a poet handles words or a painter uses color” (Morse). Eli’s brilliance got him into Yale University, where he was sure he would be a lawyer, since his parents were insisting he study law. Although Whitney attended Yale and was surrounded with intelligent classmate, Whitney never felt like law was the correct career path for his talents. Eli was unsatisfied with having to settle, so until he found the correct path for himself he thought it would be best if he taught; since he’s been teaching while attending Yale (Morse). Eli went off to teach, but ended up refusing the job