Thomas Edison The Greatest Inventor

homas Alva Edison was one of the greatest inventors in history. During his life he made thousands of inventions and obtained over 1000 patents. Patents protected his inventions from other people using his work or selling his inventions. His inventions have changed the world forever. Thomas Edison was born on February 11, 1847 in Milan, Ohio. As a young man he had trouble at school. One teacher said that he wasn’t very smart. So his parents took him out of school and taught him at home. He made a laboratory in his parent’s basement where he did some science experiments. As a young man, he worked hard selling newspapers on the railroad. As a teenager, he learned how to use the telegraph, which was the main way to send messages

This first invention was a machine that accurately counted election results. Sadly, it was not used very much. In some ways, his first patent was a failure. This did not stop Edison. In fact, throughout his life, many of his inventions failed. Edison never grew tired or discouraged. He always tried again and again. Sometimes, his inventions took over ten years to perfect like his machine to separate iron from ore taken from the mine. After many attempts, he invented a machine that transmitted stock prices called the ticker tape machine. In 1887, he finally perfected his favorite invention, the phonograph. This was the first machine that recorded and played back sound. When he brought it to the patent office and demonstrated the machine, they didn’t believe him. They thought he was a ventriloquist throwing his voice. But soon, everyone realized that he invented an amazing machine. In a short time these machines were being used to record music and voice

Many scientists had already discovered the way to change electricity into light. However, these earlier bulbs were impractical and lasted only a short time. They also became incredibly hot. They could not be used outside the laboratory. A light bulb has three basic parts: a glass globe filled with gas, electric current and a filament. The filament was the most important part because that was where the electricity glowed into bright light. The filament was the most difficult and costly part. For over a year, Edison tried many different materials for the filament. Finally, he baked cotton and carbon dust into a fine string. This first filament lasted about twenty-four hours. He made improvements and finally he developed one, which lasted a few hundred hours. He invented the first long-lasting, cheap, and practical light bulb. This was his greatest invention. Through his electric company he developed a system to bring electricity to homes, which soon became filled with light bulbs. Smelly oil lamps and dangerous candles stopped being used. The world was forever transformed by Edison’s light bulb. Everyone now could have a cheap constant source of light, which transformed every aspect of life. Today, everyone in the world turns on a light bulb. All of us should praise Thomas Edison for his inventions, especially the electric light