Thomas Alva Edison was dubbed the "Wizard of Menlo Park" by a reporter after Edison created the industrial research laboratory, combining the process of invention and techniques of mass production. At the height of his most productive years, Thomas Edison held 1,097 U. S. patents in his name. He also held many patents in France, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Thomas Edison

Not all of Thomas Edison's inventions, however, were unique to him as many were improvements and modifications of earlier inventions. In addition, some of the inventions credited to Edison were created by numerous employees under his direction.

To correct a popular belief, Thomas Edison did not invent the first electric light bulb. He invented the first commercially marketable incandescent light. One invention that Thomas Edison did invent from scratch and was the first to do so, was the phonograph. This invention was unprecedented at the time and help propel Edison's fame that much further.

Inside Edison's industrial research lab were many different employees working on many different projects and products such as the light bulb, phonograph, telephone, telegraph and electric railway. In 1878, Edison formed the Edison Electric Light Company in New York City and a year later was able to first publicly demonstrate the light bulb. In 1882, Thomas Edison threw the switch to the world's first electrical power distribution system to 59 households in Manhattan.

Thomas Edison was involved in a famous battle with George Westinghouse over whether the country should use DC or AC power. Edison favored DC and Westinghouse AC. In his fervor to come out ahead on the debate, Edison ordered dogs, cats and other animals electrocuted with AC in order to show the public the perils of AC current. In a media event, Edison also had Topsy the Elephant electrocuted by AC current after the rogue elephant had killed three men including her trainer.

Thomas Alva Edison was born on February 11, 1847 in Milan, Ohio. He died on October 18, 1931 in West Orange, New Jersey.

Rumor Has It …

Rumor has it that Thomas Edison invented the unibrow on a German fraulein during World War I. He called her "Unibrow Frau" and then sent her off the join the circus as an attraction.

In a completely falsified and defaming document that still stands today without merit, it was said that Thomas Alva Edison also liked to wear those short little circus monkey pants and prance around on the street corners of New York, cracking eggs atop passersby heads.

Written by Kevin Lepton