Thomas
Alva Edison was one of the greatest inventors. He was a smart man. Thomas
invented many things such as the light bulb and phonograph. Without the light
bulb we would still be using candles and lanterns like they did many years ago.
Although Thomas was deaf he worked hard and never gave up. Thomas Alva Edison
was born on February 11, 1847 in Milan, Ohio. He had many family members. He had
a father named Samuel Odgen Edison and a mother named Nancy Elliott Edison.
Thomas’ mother pulled him from school because Thomas’ teacher called him a
“retard.” Nancy Edison taught her son at home. Thomas has six siblings
and he was the youngest child in the Edison family. Thomas was interested in
many things as a child. At age twelve Thomas got a job at the Grand Trunk
Railroad. While working at Grand Trunk Railroad Thomas was a typesetter, press
operator, editor, and publisher of his very own newspaper called the
“Herald.” Thomas got his news for his newspaper from telegraphers at
other train stations. Thomas liked many things, but mathematics was not one of
them. He enjoyed reading books about science and philosophy. His favorite book
ever was Isaac Newtown’s Principia Mathematica. Thomas was interested in
inventing the light bulb. Thomas was a scientist as a kid. He like to test many
things. When he was young he built a laboratory in the family’s basement. Thomas
did experiments he found in science books and got jars and chemicals for
experiments from local shopkeepers. Thomas also used a spare train car for
another laboratory. Thomas studied books on mechanics, manufacturing, and
chemistry at the public library. He spent a long time studying Newtown’s
Principles. He also read lots of books such as Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the
Roman Empire, Hume’s History of England, Sear’s History of the World, Burton’s
Anatomy of Melancholy, and The Dictoinaries of Sciences. Thomas Edison invented
the light bulb. In October of 1879 Edison patented his incandescent lamp. Edison
and his team made a new vacuum pump to make better vacuums in glass light bulbs.
It was better known as the “glow bulb.” Thomas’ second attempt at the
glow bulb successfully lit for forty hours. On New Year’s Eve Edison lit up
Menlo Park with thirty glow bulbs. Electricity would replace gas for lighting
purposes. The light bulb gives off light so that we can see with out lanterns
and candles. The Edison Lamp Company produced 1,000 light bulbs a day. It has
improved since it’s original version. In 1880, Edison invented the incandescent
lamp. In the year 1910, Tungsten filament was discovered giving off white light
instead of yellow light. In 1925, lamps were given an inside frosting that had a
fine spray of hydrofluoric acid. In the late 19th century, florescent lamps were
invented. They are tubes filled with low-pressure neon gas. Thomas Edison
invented many things we still used today. I think the light bulb was the
greatest invention because it is hard to see with out light bulbs. Without the
light bulb we would not be able to have night ball games or light shows. It is a
good thing Thomas Edison invented the light bulb.
Bibliography
1. “Edison, Thomas.” Compton’s Encylopedia. 1990 ed. vol. 7,
p.72-76
2. Ellis, Keith. Thomas Edison, Genius of Electricity. Great Britain: Priory
Press Limited, 1974
3. Parker, Steve. Thomas Edison and Electricity. Great Britain: Belitha Press
Limited, 1992
