Thomas Edison

Thomas Alva Edison was born on 11 February 1847 in Milan, Ohio. He was the youngest of seven children and frequently fell ill during childhood. Unable to succeed in school, Edison was educated at home by his mother, Nancy Elliott. From an early age, he showed a strong interest in physics and chemistry experiments.

Youth and Early Experiments

At the age of ten, he built a small chemistry laboratory in the basement of his home. After learning Morse code, he constructed his own telegraph. At twelve, he worked selling newspapers and candy on trains, transporting his laboratory with him. During this period, he lost most of his hearing.

Telegraph Work

In 1862, he began working as a telegraph operator. In 1869, he developed his first patented invention, the electric vote recorder. After moving to New York, he repaired telegraph machines and improved telegraph systems. He co-founded the company Pope, Edison and Co. with Franklin L. Pope and James Ashley.

Phonograph and Telephone

In 1877, he invented the phonograph, a device capable of recording and replaying sound. By working on the telephone transmitter, he improved the clarity of voice transmission. Initially, the phonograph was used as a dictation machine.

Electric Bulb and Lighting

In 1879, he developed the carbon-filament light bulb. In 1882, the first commercial electric lighting system was installed in New York. Edison established companies such as Edison Electric Illuminating Company, Edison Machine Works, and Edison Lamp Works to produce electric lamps and necessary equipment.

Cinema Work

In 1891, he received patents for the Kinetograph motion picture camera and the Kinetoscope device. In 1893, he established the Black Maria studio in West Orange. In 1896, he presented short films to the public using the Vitascope.

Other Ventures

He conducted research in ore crushing and cement production. In 1881, he founded the Edison Ore-Milling Company, and in 1899, the Edison Portland Cement Company.

Later Years and Death

In 1911, his companies were consolidated under the name Thomas A. Edison, Inc. A major fire broke out in his laboratory in 1914. He died on 18 October 1931 in West Orange, New Jersey.