Fun Facts About Thomas Edison
- Thomas Edison's son had test tubes near him sealed when he died. One, labeled "Edison's last breath," was sent to Henry Ford and is on display at the Henry Ford Museum.[1][3][4]
- Edison's first patent, granted in 1869, was for an electric vote recorder.[1]
- Edison's film studio made nearly 1,200 films, including the first Frankenstein film in 1910.[1]
- Edison's first job was as a news butcher, selling newspapers, candy and vegetables on trains between Port Huron and Detroit.[1]
- Edison was deaf in one ear and barely heard in the other. As a boy he made up elaborate stories about the cause, and as an adult he believed his deafness helped him concentrate.[1]
- Edison ran a cement company and commissioned a system for casting a whole three-story house from cement in a single mold.[1]
- Leo Tolstoy and Thomas Edison were alive at the same time for 63 years.[1][2][5][6]
- Thomas Edison was alive at the same time as Hokusai — their lives overlapped for 2 years (1847–1849).[1][2][7][8]
Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventions, which include the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and early versions of the electric light bulb, have had a widespread impact on the modern industrialized world. He was one of the first inventors to apply the principles of organized science and teamwork to the process of invention, working with many researchers and employees. He established the first industrial research laboratory.[1]
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Questions About Thomas Edison
When was Thomas Edison born?
Thomas Edison was born on February 11, 1847, and died on October 18, 1931.
How old was Thomas Edison at death?
Thomas Edison was born on February 11, 1847, and died on October 18, 1931, at age 84.
What was Thomas Edison known for?
Thomas Edison was known for: Light bulb, phonograph, 1000+ patents. Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventions, which include the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and early versions of the electric light bulb, have had a widespread impact on the modern industrialized world. He was one of the first inventors to apply the principles of organized science and teamwork to the process of invention, working with many researchers and employees. He established the first industrial research laboratory.
Who was alive at the same time as Thomas Edison?
Thomas Edison's closest contemporary was John D. Rockefeller. Their lives overlapped for 84 years.
Sources
- Thomas Edison — Wikipedia. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Thomas Edison (Q8743) — Wikidata
- Henry Ford — Wikipedia
- Henry Ford (Q8768) — Wikidata
- Leo Tolstoy — Wikipedia
- Leo Tolstoy (Q7243) — Wikidata
- Hokusai — Wikipedia
- Hokusai (Q5586) — Wikidata
- Portrait: Thomas Edison2-crop.jpg — Wikimedia Commons. Louis Bachrach, Bachrach Studios, restored by Michel Vuijlsteke, Public domain