Thomas Alva Edison

By Kavya SK - July 23, 2022

Thomas Alva Edison

Thomas Alva Edison was one of the most famous inventor of all time. He was born on February 11, 1847.His birthplace was Milan, Ohio, U.S. His father's name was Samuel Ogden Edison and his mother's name was Nancy Matthews Elliott. The great scientist Thomas Edison was very hardworking. In childhood , he was expelled from the school by saying that he is a slow-minded child. Edison was taught reading, writing, and arithmetic by his mother. He attended school for only a few months. However, One biographer described him as a very curious child who learned most things by reading on his own. As a child, he became fascinated with technology and spent hours working on experiments at home. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world. He worked as a telegraph operator, which inspired some of his earliest inventions. He established his first laboratory facility in Menlo Park, New jersey, where many of his early inventions were developed.

He is best known for inventing the electric bulb. He was 32 when he invented the lightbulb.

He invented other things too:

-Phonograph

-Motion picture(Like a camera)

-The Electrographic vote recorder

-Magnetic Iron Ore separator

Edison developed hearing problems at the age of 12.The cause of his deafness has been attributed to a bout of scarlet fever during childhood and recurring untreated middle-ear-infections. Edison believed his hearing loss allowed him to avoid distraction and concentrate more easily on his work. At the age of 12 years old, he got his first job selling newspapers and candy to passengers on the trains.

Education- Self-educated; Some coursework at cooper Union

Awards- Matteucci Medal, John Scott Medal, Franklin Medal

In 1878, Edison began working on a system of electrical illumination, something he hoped could compete with gas and oil-based lighting. He began by tackling the problem of creating long-lasting incandescent lamp, something that would be needed for indoor use.