Thomas Alva Edison was born on February 11, 1847 in Milan, Ohio. He was the last of 7 children. He moved to Michigan when he was 7 years old. As a child, he was extremely curious. He was so intrigued by things, that he once sat on a goose egg, just to see if it would hatch. He also set fire to a barn, to see what would happen. Although he was not well educated, he only completed 3 months of school, he was extremely smart and had the desire to learn. He was always very distracted and could never sit still. His mother wound up pulling him out of school when he was 11 years old.
Thomas Alva Edison started working when he was 12 years old. While he worked for the railroad, Thomas Alva Edison saved a 3-year-old from being run over by a train, …show more content…
This was his baby! It all started when Western Union asked him to create a communication device to compete with Bell’s telephone. He never did but by December of 1877, Thomas Alva Edison invented a device for recording sound called the phonograph. While he was working on improvements to the telegraph and the telephone he figured out a way to record sound on tinfoil coated cylinders. He created a machine with two needles, one for recording and one for playback. When Thomas Alva Edison spoke into the mouthpiece, the sound vibrations of his voice would be indented onto the cylinder by the recording needle. “Mary had a little lamb” were the first words that Thomas Alva Edison recorded on the phonograph. It took almost 10 years to perfect but this invention gave him his recognition.
The phonograph was a major invention, it put music into every home. It was even a huge morale booster for the soldiers of World War I. Music helped the soldiers forget about the horrors of war and it cheered them up. Thomas Alva Edison continued to have great success as an inventor. He improved the light bulb in 1879, In 1880, he developed the Edison Illuminating Company(the first investor-owned electric utility, which became General Electric). Thomas Alva Edison also designed a battery for the self-starter on the Model T for Ford in
Thomas Alva Edison started working when he was 12 years old. While he worked for the railroad, Thomas Alva Edison saved a 3-year-old from being run over by a train, …show more content…
This was his baby! It all started when Western Union asked him to create a communication device to compete with Bell’s telephone. He never did but by December of 1877, Thomas Alva Edison invented a device for recording sound called the phonograph. While he was working on improvements to the telegraph and the telephone he figured out a way to record sound on tinfoil coated cylinders. He created a machine with two needles, one for recording and one for playback. When Thomas Alva Edison spoke into the mouthpiece, the sound vibrations of his voice would be indented onto the cylinder by the recording needle. “Mary had a little lamb” were the first words that Thomas Alva Edison recorded on the phonograph. It took almost 10 years to perfect but this invention gave him his recognition.
The phonograph was a major invention, it put music into every home. It was even a huge morale booster for the soldiers of World War I. Music helped the soldiers forget about the horrors of war and it cheered them up. Thomas Alva Edison continued to have great success as an inventor. He improved the light bulb in 1879, In 1880, he developed the Edison Illuminating Company(the first investor-owned electric utility, which became General Electric). Thomas Alva Edison also designed a battery for the self-starter on the Model T for Ford in