Thomas Edison Research Paper

Thomas Edison: The Wizard of Menlo Park

One of the World’s greatest inventors, Thomas Edison, taught us “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work” (Edison Quotes). Perspiration and long hours were key to him. He noticed what peers of his have missed by being lazy and he was determined to be the opposite. Thomas Edison's childhood curiosity and imagination led to a dedicated and persistent man who created countless new inventions, improvements, and literally, lit up the world.

Thomas Alva Edison was born on February 11, 1847 in Milan, Ohio; his parents were Samuel Edison and Nacy Elliot Edison. Nacy’s parents believed girls should be educated and so Nancy got her education. She taught school

In a flash Tomas dropped everything to save the young boy. Safely, the son was returned and Tom returned to his routine. A few days later, Mackenzie rewarded Thomas with an apprenticeship. Thomas went to Port Huron to search for a job as well. Thomas Walker, a watchmaker and jeweler who also sold books and magazines, planned to enlist in the army so he let Tomas run the store and office. During his free time in the store, Tom read Walker’s books and admired the watchmaking equipment. But, Samuel would not let his son work for such little pay; Thomas applied for another job. He worked as a telegraph for years and finally got one of his biggest jobs (Cousins 42-45). At age seventeen, Tom went to work in Canada amongst skilled operators who have been working as telegraphs for years. He became known as “tramp telegraph” by his coworkers in Canada. After extensive telegraph work, Thomas’ interest in electrical machines sparked (Parker 6,

Tomas became ill after his return and spent most of his days in bed. When things seemed to continue worsening, an old friend of Tom’s sent a letter saying there was a job opening at the Western Union Bureau Office in Boston, Massachusetts. He jumped at the opportunity (Woodside 14). After working at his job in Boston, Thomas decided to resign in January of 1869 and become a fulltime inventor. He opened a shop on Court Street next to his friend Charles Williams Jr. Tom coaxed a man into loaning him five hundred dollars to start his inventions and in return the man would get a share in the profits. Thomas had been working on creating a double-message telegraph and now he had opened a shop to just that, and more (Cousins 61,