Thomas Edison's Greatest Invention

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The world would not be the same without the major breakthroughs, such as the printing press, the mechanical clock, programmable computer, automobile, and camera. Most people have been surrounded by inventions their entire lives. They have enhanced, improved, and made everyday and complicated tasks more efficient. Even though they have become a part of their lives, many people have not been informed about who designed it or when the invention was created. Two names that come to mind when thinking of inventors are Edison and Wright. Without Thomas Edison’s invention of the incandescent light bulb, everyone would still be lighting candles and gas lanterns. In addition, without the Wright brothers and others in the race to create an airplane, traveling long distances would seem challenging. Inventions affect everyone in one way or another, some very dominate, others a little, but they all influence people eventually. Humanity owes a great deal of its progress towards the massive successes of inventions. Even …show more content…

Throughout Edison’s life, he was granted 1,093 patents (Cheryl 7H). One of his most known inventions is the incandescent light bulb, which he invented in 1879 (Evans 24). Although Humphry Davy produced the first incandescent lamp, it was not reliable, or marketable, because it rarely lasted beyond a few minutes (Evans 24). “Edison 's electric lamp burned for 10 hours. He later produced a filament that lasted more than one hundred times as long” (Evans 24). Another invention of his that showed the world something that they have never seen or heard before was the phonograph which he invented in 1878 (Cheryl 7H). The phonograph astonished observers when Edison recited Mary had a little lamb, and the machine exactly repeated the words (Cheryl 7H). Edison had over 1,000 inventions, some impacted the world more than others, but they all influenced mankind