Thomas Edison Accomplishments

Thomas Edison

The Wizard of Menlo Park

Thomas Edison once quoted, “I haven’t failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Whether known as a persistent believer, brilliant inventor, or just a pure genius, Thomas Edison changed the world, and this can definitely be seen in his creative ideas and his ability to make them come alive, including but not limited to the light bulb and telegraph. He left a legacy as an imaginative inventor.

Thomas Edison was not only an accomplished innovator during his adult years, but also when he was a kid. As a child, Edison was inquisitive and eager to learn new things. He loved to read during his spare time. He even began expressing early interest in building things! However, despite his exceptional

Because early telegraph messages were written in Morse code, which was inscribed on a piece of paper, Edison’s partial deafness raised no barrier. (cx) However, later in his telegraphy career, receivers were increasingly being provided with sounding keys, which left Edison seriously disadvantaged. At age 21, Edison decided to try out his luck in Boston, and he ended up with a job at Western Union Company (Venezia 17). (cd) Aside from his job, Edison progressed tremendously with the duplex telegraph and printer in his spare time. These accomplishments motivated Edison to quit his job and dedicate himself to full-time inventing. Instead of a solo entrepreneurship, Edison associated with other fellow inventors. In order to create the Edison Universal Stock Printer, Edison worked with Frank L. Pope, a noted electrical expert (Britannica). Edison later wrote a short report explaining telegraph systems. Due to Thomas Edison’s significant refinements, the telegraph was improved

The only source of electricity before Edison were primitive batteries, so he decided to develop a company that would deliver electricity. He named it the Edison Illuminating Company that later became General Electric Corporation. (cx) On September 4, 1882, Pearl Street generating station provided electricity to 59 customers, and around 800 lights began to glow (bio.com). (cd) Edison’s incandescent lighting systems were also used in the 1881 Paris Lighting Exhibition and the Crystal Palace in London, in 1882 (history.com). Thomas Edison made the light bulb usable, efficient, and long-lasting. Prior to the light bulb, people burned lamp oils or used manufactured natural gas to generate light. The three main contributing factors to Edison’s incandescent light bulb were a durable incandescent material, elimination of air from the vacuum, and a filament materials of high resistance. Edison spent over a year testing appropriate filament materials. In the end, he ended up using carbonized Japanese bamboo as filaments. In 1879, Edison was granted a patent for the light bulb (bio.com). Thomas Edison