Thomas Alva Edison was born in February 11,1847 in Ohio and died in October 18, 1931. He was an American inventor who is considered one of America's leading businessmen. Edison rose from humble beginnings to work as an inventor of major technology, including the first commercially viable incandescent light bulb. He is credited today for helping to build America's economy during the nation's vulnerable early years. Thomas Edison was the youngest of seven children of Samuel and Nancy Edison. In 1871 Edison married 16-year-old Mary Stilwell, who was an employee at one of his businesses. During their 13-year marriage, they had three children, Marion, Thomas and William, who himself became an inventor. In 1884, Mary died at the age of 29 of a suspected brain tumor. In 1886, Edison married Mina Miller. Thomas Edison developed problems at an early age. The cause of his deafness is that he got middle-ear infections. Edison developed many skills when he was young. He sold candy and newspapers on trains running from Port Huron to Detroit and sold vegetables to supplement his income. He also studied qualitative analysis and conducted chemical experiments on the train until an accident prohibited further work of the kind. Later, Edison obtained the exclusive right …show more content…
The Gold and Stock Telegraph Company was so impressed, they paid him $40,000 for the rights. With this success, he quit his work as a telegrapher to devote himself full-time to inventing. By the early 1870s, Thomas Edison had acquired a reputation as a first-rate inventor. In 1870, he set up his first small laboratory and manufacturing facility in Newark, New Jersey, and employed several machinists. As an independent entrepreneur, Edison formed numerous partnerships and developed products for the highest