Thomas Alva Edison

Thomas Alva Edison was born in Milan, Ohio on February 11, 1847. In 1954 his parents moved to Port Huron, Michigan. Edison also grew up there. As a child Edison had time to attend school only for 3 months. His teacher warned small Edison that he could not learn in school and eventually her mother decided to teach himself Edison at home. Incidentally his mother a teacher. This is done because when the Edison school, including students who are often left behind and he was considered a gifted student who is not.

Although no schools, small Edison showed a profound nature curious and always wanted to try. Before reaching school age he had dissected the animals, not to torture the animals, but purely driven by a great curiosity. At the age of eleven years of Edison built a simple chemical laboratory in the basement of his father's home. A year later he managed to make a telegraph that despite its primitive but it works.

Of course, experiments that do require a sizable fee. To meet the needs that, at the age of twelve years Edison worked as a seller of newspapers and candy on the train that runs between the city of Port Huron and Detroit. In order to spare time on the train was not wasted Edison asked for permission to the railroad company, "Grand Trunk Railway", to create a small laboratory in one of the railway carriage. It was there that she experimented and read the literature when it was not on duty.
1861 civil war between the states north and south. This topic to the attention of the people. Thomas Alva Edison saw this opportunity and buy an old printing equipment for 12 dollars, and then print their own newspaper called "Weekly Herald". This newspaper was the first newspaper printed on the train and fairly sold. Oplahnya reached 400 a day. At this time Edison had almost lost his hearing due to an accident. But he did not regard it as a defect even regard it as an advantage because he has a lot of time to think than to listen to empty talk. In 1868 Edison got a job as a telegraph operator in Boston. All his spare time was spent to conduct engineering experiments. This year he also found the electric intercom system.

    "Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration".
    Thomas Alva Edison

Thomas Alva Edison received his first patent for an electric vote recorder tool but no one interested to buy it so he switched to a commercial discovery. First commercial discovery is the development of stock ticker. Edison sells penemuaannya into a company and get money for 40,000 dollars. This money is used by Edison to open companies and laboratories in Menlo Park, New Jersey. In this laboratory he spawned a variety of discoveries that later change the lifestyle most people in the world.

In 1877 he found the phonograph. In this year also he busied himself with the problems at that time to the attention of many researchers: incandescent lamps. Edison realized how important that kind of light source for the life of mankind. Therefore Edison devote energy and time, and spend the money as many as 40,000 dollars within a period of two years to make the light bulb experiment. The question is how to find materials which can be incandescent when electrified but not burned. In total there are approximately 6000 materials tried. Through the efforts Edison, finally on October 21, 1879 was born the first electric incandescent lamp capable of burning for 40 hours.

There are many other useful inventions Edison. Overall, Edison has produced 1039 patents. His discovery that is rarely mentioned among others: printing telegraph, electric pen, the mining process of magnetic, electric torpedo, synthetic rubber, alkaline batteries, cement mixer, microphone, carbon telephone transmitter and a moving picture projector.


Thomas Alva Edison was also instrumental in the field of cinema. He combines photographic film that George Eastman had developed into the film industry that produces millions of dollars today. He also makes the Black Maria, a mobile film studio that was built in rotating channels.

Passing through the 1920s his health deteriorated and he died on October 18, 1931 at the age of 84 years.