Thomas Alva Edison

February 11,

1847

Thomas Alva Edison

Edison sold newspapers and candy when he was twelve years old. He rode a train from town to town to sell them. Edison made a laboratory inside one of the train cars so he could do different chemistry experiments during the ride from town to town.

Thomas Alva Edison

Edison said one day a man lifted him onto a train by his ears and after that he could not hear.

When Edison was fifteen he saved a 3 year old boy from being hit by a train. The boy's father taught Edison telegraphy as a reward. As Edison’s hearing got worse he used telegraphy codes to communicate.

Thomas Alva Edison

In six years Edison had 120 patents.

He invented the first diode.

Thomas Alva Edison

Edison invented :

Phonograph

Incandescent Bulb

High-speed automatic telegraph

Quadruplex telegraph

Kinetoscope

Kinetograph

Thomas Alva Edison

Edison died on October 18, 1931 in New Jersey.

Honors:

National Academy of Sciences

Congressional Medal of Honor

Hall of Fame of Great Americans

The Library of Congress. (1999). Inventing Entertainment

The Motion Pictures and Sound Recordings of the Edison Companies

Creative Communication