Thomas Edison
Known for inventing the Kinetograph, the Kinetoscope, the electric light bulb, and many other things, Thomas Alva Edison is called The Wizard of Menlo Park for a right reason. Thomas Edison was born on February eleventh, 1847 to parents Samuel Edison Jr. and Nancy Elliott Edison. As a child, he received little education, but that did not stop him from becoming genius inventor. At the age of twelve, Edison began working on the railroad, and through the Civil War, he worked with telegraphs across the United States of America. These jobs combined helped him in his later life of inventing. Continuing with his life after his mother died, Edison married Mary Stillwell, a sixteen-year-old fellow telegraph worker. With the help of his
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Yet, this was not enough inventing for Edison; he soon begins to explore the science of electricity. With the help of sponsors, Edison was able to work full time inventing a safe way to illuminate the streets without candles or gas. In 1878, he set up the Edison Electric Light Company, in New York, where he researched and developed the iconic light bulb. He made a breakthrough in October 1879 with a bulb that used a platinum filament, and in the summer of 1880 hit on carbonized bamboo as a viable alternative for the filament, which proved to be the key to a long-lasting and affordable light bulb (history.com). In 1881, Thomas Edison’s light bulbs were shown in the Paris Lighting Exhibition and the Crystal Palace in 1882. Soon, many people were beginning their own experiments on electric lights, including George Westinghouse. After using an alternate way to Edison, Westinghouse rose above Edison in the growing lightbulb industry. In 1892, Edison General Electric Co. merged with Thomson-Houston, giving birth to the first cross-country electric company, General Electric