Thomas Edison free essay sample

Thomas Alva Edison was an inventor who created many important things that changed the way Americans live today. He was born on February 11, 1847 in Mt. Clemens, Michigan. He had trouble hearing because of an uncared for middle ear infection, and he had difficulty paying attention in school. As a result, he was pulled out of school where he was mother was then forced to home school him. At a young age, Thomas Edison created a small business where he would sell newspapers on the train, and eventually recruited some of his friends to work for him. The most important event that influenced Thomas Edison as a teenager was when he was taught how to use a telegraph machine. One day he had saved the life of a boy from being hit by a train. In turned out that this boy was the son of the chief of the train station, and as a reward the train station chief agreed to teach Edison how to use the telegraph machine. We will write a custom essay sample on Thomas Edison or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Based on his experience with the telegraph machine, Thomas Edison later created the double telegraph. The double telegraph could send two messages and receive two messages at the same time. Edison was eventually successful and sold this invention to a man named Mr. Goulden for thirty thousand dollars, which is equivalent to around five hundred thousand dollars today. With this money he was able to buy a big house in Menlo Park, New Jersey with a separate laboratory. In this laboratory Edison and his partner made most of his great inventions. As Thomas Edison got older he became well known for many of his inventions. The invention that really made him famous was the phonograph. The phonograph was a device that allowed people to record and play music. The public was amazed because they never even thought someone could record their own voice and play it over and over again. Edison was invited to Washington D. C to show his invention to congressmen, senators and the US president, Hayes. He became known as â€Å"The Wizard of Menlo Park. † One of Thomas Edison’s greatest achievements was the laboratory he built in Menlo Park, New Jersey. It started out small and eventually developed into something larger and more special. It was so special because it contained all the material- raw materials, chemistry equipment and machinery- he needed in order to create his inventions. There were twelve telegraph lines running into the lab, which is identical to having Internet access today. Edison had hired a large group of scientists to work for him, known as â€Å"The Boys†. Each scientist had their own notebook in which they would write down ideas. Afterwards, Edison would review their work and give them feedback. Edison hired an immigrant, Charles Batchelor, who later became Edison’s partner. Charles had a great skill in engineering that helped Edison bring his inventions to life. Thomas Edison was a very intelligent person, and could potentially be named one of the most intelligent and influencial men of our time. He invented many important things that we depend on today, such as the phonograph, the light bulb and the movie projector. His creativity allowed him to create so many of his important inventions. He also had great determination to make a lot of money. That did not make him great, but his main goal was to sell his great inventions for lots of money. Thomas Edison is remembered for his great inventions. People did not know how to use electricity a long time ago, and he showed them how useful it could be. Even though people did not like the new electric lights at first because of its price, it eventually became cheaper and more popular amongst his generation. Now everyone used electric lights because it is safe and convenient. We use electricity to do so many things, like seeing when we are reading, using our electronics, powering our factories, getting heat and air conditioning, and storing our food. Thomas Edison’s legacy still lives on. Thomas Edison was intelligent, determined, creative, crafty, and able to predict what might happen with his inventions.