Thomas Edison Adventure

1
Thomas Edison Adventure

• Patricia Cook
• Pickens Elementary
• March 26, 2002

2
Inventions

• Thomas Edison created 1,093 inventions.
• He is best known for perfecting the incandescent
  light bulb.
• He also invented the phonograph, a motion picture
  camera (kinetograph) and a motion picture viewer
  (kinetoscope). Some other inventions include the
  storage battery, a talking doll, an electric
  motor, and a telegraph. How many more can you
  name?
• Visit http//memory.loc.gov/ammem/edhtml/edbio.htm
  learly

3
Timeline

• http//memory.loc.gov/ammem/edhtml/edtime.html

4
Education

• Thomas Edison attended school only briefly when
  he was seven years old.
• His teacher described him as addled. That means
  he was very distracted in school.
• His mother did not like the strict ways and
  decided to home school Thomas. She was a teacher
  and taught him to love reading.
• When Thomas got his first chemistry set, he
  discovered his love for mechanical things and
  experimenting.
• He lost most of his hearing at age 12 when he was
  pulled onto a train by his ears. He did not let
  his disability stop him from learning.

5
Personal Information

• Thomas Edison was born on Feb. 11, 1847 in Milan
  Ohio.
• He had three children by his first wife, Mary
  Stillwell. She died in 1884.
• He married Mina Miller in 1886 and had 3 more
  children.
• He loved to do experiments and was still
  inventing and working when he died at the age of
  84. (Oct. 18, 1931)
• He lived through the Civil War, the
  Spanish-American War, and World War I.

6
The Phonograph

• This invention was Edisons favorite.
• The phonograph was developed due to Edisons
  involvement with the telegraph and the telephone.
• Edison wanted a phonograph in every home.
• The first phonograph used tin foil on a cylinder.
• Edison recorded Mary had a little lamb.
• His invention was very original and was patented
  on Feb.19, 1878.

7
The Light Bulb

• Edison began working on the light bulb in 1877.
• He discovered a carbonized thread could burn for
  about 40 hours.
• This led to the first commercial light system
  that was constructed in Manhattan.
• Edison gave the company his patents in exchange
  for large amounts of stock.
• This invention was the most time-consuming
  project for Edison.

8
Edisons Companies

• 1859- started Grand Trunk Herald-first newspaper
  to be published on a train.
• 1870-started Newark Telegraph Works
• 1878-started Edison Speaking Phonograph Co.
• -Edison Electric Light Co.
• 1881-Edison Ore Mining Co.
• 1889-Edison Portland Cement Co.
• 1896- National Phonograph Co.
• 1911- Thomas A Edison, Inc.

9
Patents

• The first US patent law was passed in 1790.
• The patent office has granted about 4 million
  patents since 1836.
• Patents protect a persons invention from being
  copied, sold or used without the inventors
  permission.
• All patents are numbered.
• Edison held 1093 patents for his inventions.
• Patents last 14-17 years.

10
Interesting Web Sites

• Thomas A. Edison Public School-
• http//www.minot.k12.nd.us/mps/edison/edison/edis
  on.htmltest
• American Memory Collection-
• http//memory.loc.gov/ammem/edhtml/edbiohm.html

11
Credits

• Pictures in slides 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, and 8 are from
  the American Memory Collection of the Library of
  Congress. http//memory.loc.gov/ammem/edhtml/edhom
  e.html
• Information from the Thomas Edison Inventing
  Entertainment Web Site
• http//memory.loc.gov/ammem/edhtml/edhome.ht
  ml http//memory.loc.gov/ammem/edhtml/edbiohm.html