Illuminating The Path Of Progress :: essays research papers

Illuminating the Path of Progress     Thomas Alva Edison is the most famous inventor in American History.Edison designed, built, and delivered the electrical age. He started arevolution that would refocus technology, change life patterns, and createmillions of frolics. He became famous for his scientific inventions, even though hewas not a scientist. His real talent was his ability to clearly judge a problemand be persistent in experimenting. He was the master of the trial and breakmethod.     Thomas Edison was born on February 11, 1847 in Milan, Ohio. He was thelast of seven children born to Samuel and Nancy Edison. Edisons early life wasspent in Ohio near the nations busiest grain port. He spent time exploring thecanal and played near his fathers shingle business.     When Alva was a child, he had scarlet fever. The fever damaged hishearing and delayed his entrance into school. Edison was inquisitive about theworld aro und him and always tried to teach himself through reading andexperiments. Alva spent three years in home schooling. He was taught by hismother. He later returned to school but left at age twelve to get a job andhelp support his family.     Edison got his starting job selling newspapers and snacks to the passengerson the train between Port Huron and Detroit. Edison bought a used printingpress in 1862 and published the Grand Trunk Herald for passengers. It was thefirst newspaper published on a train.     When Edison was fifteen, he was taught Morse code and became a managerof a telegraph office. Edison got the idea for his first invention from working(a) here. His first inventions were the transmitter and receiver for theautomatic telegraph. At 21, Edison produced his first major invention, a stockticker. In 1869, when Edison was twenty-two, he patented his first inventionand advertise that he would devote his time to bringing out his invention s.The first patent received by Edison was for a vote recorder. Years laterEdisons design was compose in use by state legislatures for use by the public ingeneral elections. By the age of twenty-three Edison owned two factories to manufacture telegraphic equipment and had money to pursue his research.     On December 25, 1871, Edison married Mary Stilwell. They had threechildren. Two of his children were nicknamed Dot and Dash after the Morse code.     In 1880 Edison do a find in science. He noticed that when ametal plate was inserted into a light bulb, the plate became a valve and thecurrent could be controlled. This discovery is known as the "Edison Effect.