Thomas Alva Edison 1847 - 1931 "Be courageous! Whatever setbacks America  has encountered, it has always emerged as a stronger and more prosperous nation.... Be brave as your fathers before you. Have faith and go forward!"  ~ Thomas Alva Edison

Family Life Born in Ohio in 1847 Parents were Samuel and Nancy Elliott Edison Married Mary Stillwell – had 3 children before her death Married Mina Miller – had 3 more children

Education Attended public school for a short amount of time Mother decided to home school Edison She helped him develop a love of reading Edison self taught himself in many ways by reading and experimenting

Hardships Mourned the death of first wife Methods of mining iron ore were never made commercially practical Lost millions of dollars First patent (Electric Vote Recorder) was a failure Many other inventions failed

Edison’s Failed Inventions

Accomplishments Patented 1,093 Inventions Demonstrated invention of phonograph to President Hayes Developed many companies Started the recording industry Received Congressional Medal of Honor in 1929

Inventions Patented a Total of 1,093 Improved the phone invented by Alexander G. Bell Incandescent Light (1879) Phonograph His favorite One of Mr. Edison’s First Phonographs Replica of First Incandescent Bulb – Edison National Historic Site

Inventions Motion picture camera (kinetograph) and a motion picture viewer (kinetoscope). (view Congress of Nations) Some other inventions include the storage battery, a talking doll, an electric motor, and a telegraph

Credits Unless noted otherwise, all photos are from the American Memory Collection

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