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Thomas Alva Edison is born
Thomas Alva Edison is born in Milan, Ohio to parents Samuel and Nancy Edison with 7 siblings. Edison tended to have health problems as a child and was constantly sick, but he didn’t let that stop him from reading and learning. Edison was also born with hearing loss which continued to get worse throughout his life. -
Edison attends school for the first time
Edison is said to have started going to school at age 7, but he only stayed in the school for 3 months before his mother took him out due to his teacher’s annoyance of Edison and Edison’s disinterest in the school. Edison would constantly ask questions and one day the teacher snapped, from then on Edison was done with public education. Edison's mother homeschooled him and Edison revieved private tutors. -
Thomas Edison's first job
Still at age 12, Edison starts his job on a railroad by selling newspapers, snacks, and candy. The money he earns from this job helps support his chemistry lab he gets later on. He is very successful with selling all of this and a few years later adds on to his sales. The newspaper he sells is one page but full of international and local news, and was called the Grand Trunk Herald. -
Edison's Job Ends
One day they train hit a bumpy railroad and caused Edison’s temporary lab in the train to fall causing a fire. His upset boss gave him a blow the head causing his left ear to be completely deaf and his right ear 80%. Edison never allowed himself to get surgery because he liked not being able to hear the noisy world. He said not being able to hear the silly people helps his thoughts become clear. -
Thomas Edison's Turning Point
Thomas Edison had been out of work for almost a year, and he didnt know what to do. Edison then rescued a three-year-old from a track where he was about to be hit by an oncoming train. In return, the grateful father, J. U. MacKenzie, taught Edison railroad telegraphy. Later that year he took a job as a telegraph operator in Port Huron. From this year on Edison migrated from city to city looking for free jobs. Due to this he saw the world and saw its flaws that needed fixing. -
Edison moves to Menlo Park
Thomas Edison’s first invention was a stock printer. This was his first successful invention, after his multiple failed and denied inventions. With the success of this invention, Edison became persistent in creating new things. With this invention and the telegraph he had sold to Western Union for $40,000 Edison had enough money to quit his job and move to the Menlo Park location. Here in this building some of the most important inventions every invented came out, the carbon-filament light bulb, -
Edison gets married
On Christmas day, in 1871, Edison married Mary Stillwell, one of his employees. Although you could tell they loved each other they had a strained relationship. This was due to Edison never being home as he was always in his lab spending hours and days experimenting. With Mary, Edison had 3 children. -
The light bulb is invented
In 1879, Thomas invented the carbon-filament lamp and a direct-current generator for incandescent electric lighting. It took Edison months to be able to create the light bulb, so when he did people were amazed and his invention became the best one of the time. He had done the impossible, to create a practical light bulb. Although he was proud and most famous for the light bulb, Edison’s favorite invention of his was the phonograph which he invented in 1877. -
Edison is remarried
In 1886, two years after his former wife died, Edison married Mina Miller. With Mina he had three children, and with Mary he had another 3. Total he had 6 children that he loved, but didn’t get to spend much time with. After marrying Mina, Edison decided to move to the West Orange Lab. This is where he ended his days as an inventor, although he stayed active in science and chemistry even after retiring. -
Thomas Edison dies
In Edison's lifetime he had over 1,000 patents, had changed the world from gas to electric, had changed the economy, had developed the nation, and had left a major impact on society. Sadly, Edison died in Llewellyn Park, New Jersey, on October 18, 1931. The nation dims its light bulbs for one minute on the day of his funeral to honor his death. He died due to diabetes. Edison had done much in his lifetime, and died a proud man.
