Thomas Alva Edison is largely credited with the discovery of the lightbulb.
However, that’s only part of the reason he is known as a ‘Wizard’, in Scientific Circles.
Unlike Wizards of Lore that dabbled in Magic, Thomas Alva Edison conjured up Inventions through his powers in the field of Science. Apart from the Lightbulb, his other best-known inventions include the Record Player and the Motion-Picture Projector.
In this article, we have prepared a comprehensive list of some pretty cool Facts About Thomas Alva Edison. A treat indeed, for all kids eager to know more about one of the world’s greatest inventors.
It’s time to ‘Shine A Light Bulb’, on information on Thomas Alva Edison erstwhile ‘In the Dark.’
Interesting Facts about Thomas Alva Edison
From Inventions of Thomas Alva Edison to the more personal details of the legendary inventor’s life, this list covers it all.
Without further ado, here is some information about Thomas Alva Edison for the discerning minds of budding scientists!
- When Thomas was a teenager, he became a Telegraph Operator
- He invented the Phonograph in the year 1877
- He perfected the Light Bulb
- He holds the record for the greatest number of patents
- He had a hearing problem as a child
- A lot of interesting quotes can be attributed to him
- He was a Workaholic!
- He created the first Talking Dolls
- He was a Family Man
- Edison’s movie studio was nicknamed ‘The Black Maria. ’
- His first wife Mary worked in one of his shops
- He worked hard with people on innumerable projects
- He improved the Stock Ticker in New York in the year 1870
- He was a Scientist at the age of 10!
- He brought out the best in the people who worked with him
The young Edison was adept at sending and taking messages in Morse Code. Apart from tinkering with telegraphic instruments, he even developed several improvements for them.
Kids will be delighted to knowing, that the first known recording on the phonograph was Edison’s recitation of ‘Mary had a Little Lamb.’
We all believe that Edison discovered the lightbulb, but that is not entirely true. In fact, at the time of Edison’s ‘discovery’, the lightbulb had been around for a while. However, it was Edison who perfected it, making it practical and inexpensive.
A whopping total of 1093 of Edison’s inventions were awarded patents. These allowed the master inventor to protect his designs.
When Thomas Alva Edison was very young, he experienced hearing loss in one ear. It is probably because he could not hear his teacher well, that his grades in school took a hit. That’s when his mother took the onus on herself, to educate the young Thomas at home.
Thomas Alva Edison came up with some original quotes, like the following:
‘I have more respect for a fellow with a single idea that gets there than for the fellow with a thousand ideas who does nothing.’ ‘The world owes nothing to any man, but every man owes something to the world.’
Perhaps all those inventions of Thomas Alva Edison would have not seen the light of day, if he hadn’t worked so hard. With a mere 4 hours of sleep, he would work nonstop on a project for the next 72 hours. This happened more often than not, when the project he was working on was on the brink of completion.
This is one of those inventions of Thomas Edison, that didn’t become all that famous. Maybe because the recording technology did not work as well, in its shrunken-down avatar. In fact, there were complaints from a lot of the customers, saying that they couldn’t understand what the dolls were saying.
It’s hard to imagine that a man who was so devoted to his work, would find time for family, too. However, Edison believed strongly in the concept of Family, marrying twice and having six children!
In his wonderful studio, one person could view 50 feet of film in about 20 seconds, through a peephole. Further, each Kinetoscope was about a metre tall, and a battery-operated lamp allowed the film to be lit up.
Edison and Mary married young, when he was 24 and she, 16. The couple even had three children together. Unfortunately, Mary died at the tender age of 29, from what was suspected to be a brain tumour.
Working closely with scientists, Edison built research laboratories at Menlo Park and West Orange, New Jersey. He even worked with business associates to create companies that produced and sold his successful inventions.
The Stock Ticker was a machine that was used by stock traders. It made a ‘tick’ whenever there was a change in the price of items they were interested in. When Edison moved to New York, he made his own Stock Ticker, which was an improvement on the machine commonly used by all Stock Traders.
Edison’s fascination with the World of Science began when he was a mere 10 years old. This was the time, when he set up a laboratory in the confines of his parents’ cellar! It was right from his early years, that he wanted to find out how things worked. To do this, he would take things apart, to get a better sense of what really made them tick.
While there is no doubt that Edison was a genius, the secret of his success does not lie only there. It must also be attributed to his ability in fostering a workplace where he was able to spark the creative genius of others. The moniker that was given to his workforce was ‘Muckers.’ They were encouraged to work in teams, to improve productivity.
At EuroKids we strongly believe that by exposing children to more information about famous inventors, we go a long way in imbuing them with a sense of Wonder and Possibility. The cool facts about Thomas Alva Edison we have outlined here, will surely nurture their potential to become future inventors.
