Toms Alva Edison, inventor

Toms Edison tena casi cuatro aos cuando aprendi a hablar. Pero aun antes de poder
hablar, mostr un vivo inters en objetos mecnicos.

A la edad de siete aos, Toms asisti a la escuela durante tres meses. Pero le pareci muy
aburrido; y adems tena un problema de audicin, de manera que su profesora lo consider
un nio tonto. Tampoco le gust a la profesora que Toms hiciera tantas preguntas, y ella no
tena paciencia con l. Entonces su madre lo sac de la escuela y lo educ en casa. Le gust
leer y ley muchos libros. Especialmente le interesaron los libros de historia. Tambin le gust
mucho investigar y hacer experimentos cientficos. De nio construy modelos funcionales de
un aserradero y de una locomotora a vapor. A la edad de nueve aos implement un
laboratorio qumico en el stano de su casa.

Toms deseaba tener dinero para comprar lo que necesitaba para sus experimentos.
Entonces cultiv verduras en el jardn y los vendi. A la edad de 12 aos empez a vender
peridicos en los trenes; y adems produjo su propio peridico con una pequea imprenta que
llev en el vagn de equipaje del tren. Ms tarde aprendi el oficio de operador de telgrafo.

Edison fue uno de los inventores ms productivos de todos los tiempos. Hizo ms de mil
inventos; entre ellos la luz elctrica, el generador de electricidad, la batera elctrica, y el
primer aparato para grabar y reproducir sonidos.

15. Thomas Edison: In his early years, teachers told Edison he was "too stupid
to learn anything." Work was no better, as he was fired from his first two jobs
for not being productive enough. Even as an inventor, Edison made 1,000
unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. Of course, all those
unsuccessful attempts finally resulted in the design that worked.
16. Summary of eRumor:
17. After Thomas Edisons school teacher called him addled or mentally ill in a letter, Edisons mother hid the
letter from the young inventor and homeschooled him so that he could reach his full potential.
18. The Truth:
19. Many details of an inspirational story about Thomas Edisons young life are accurate, but theyve been used
to form a fictional narrative about young Edisons struggles as a student.
20. The inspirational story begins by recalling how Thomas Edisons grade school teacher wrote to his mother
that Edison was addled and wouldnt be allowed in school anymore. When Edison asked his mother what
the letter said, she supposedly replied:
21. His mothers eyes were tearful as she read the letter out loud to her child: Your son is a genius. This school
is too small for him and doesnt have enough good teachers for training him. Please teach him yourself.
22. After many, many years, after Edisons mother died and he was now one of the greatest inventors of the
century, one day he was looking through old family things. Suddenly he saw a folded paper in the corner of
a drawer in a desk. He took it and opened it up. On the paper was written: Your son is addled [mentally ill].
We wont let him come to school any more.
23. Edison cried for hours and then he wrote in his diary: Thomas Alva Edison was an addled child that, by a
hero mother, became the genius of the century.
24. While the idea that Thomas Edisons mother hid the fact that a schoolteacher had called him addled so
that he could reach his full potential is inspirational its also false.
25. First, Thomas Edison was dyslexic, which would have made it difficult for him to succeed in an 1800s
classroom. Research on dyslexia didnt begin until the early 1900s, decades after Edison had left public
schools, so little was known about it at the time.
 26. Thomas Edisons struggles in school have been well documented over the years, as have his teachers view
that Edison was addled. But the idea that Thomas Edison didnt know that hed been called addled is
false.
27. The Foundation for Economic Education reports that Edison was well aware of his teachers diagnosis, and
that he was enraged by it:
28. In 1854, Reverend G. B. Engle belittled one of his students, seven-year-old Thomas Alva Edison,
as addled. This outraged the youngster, and he stormed out of the Port Huron, Michigan school, the first
formal school he had ever attended. His mother, Nancy Edison, brought him back the next day to discuss
the situation with Reverend Engle, but she became angry at his rigid ways. Everything was forced on the
kids. She withdrew her son from the school where he had been for only three months and resolved to
educate him at home. Although he seems to have briefly attended two more schools, nearly all his
childhood learning took place at home.
29. In the biography, Thomas Alva Edison: Great American Inventor, Louise Betts goes into more detail
about why young Edison had problems with Reverend Engles teaching style:
30. For a boy who was used to learning things his own way and to playing outside by himself all day long,
sitting still in a one-room schoolhouse was pure misery. Tom did not like school one bit. His teacher, the
Reverend G. Engle, and his wife made the children learn by memorizing their lessons and repeating them
out loud. When a child forgot an answer, or had not studied well enough, Reverend Engle whipped the
unfortunate pupil with a leather strap! Mrs. Engle also heartily approved of using the whip as a way of
teaching students better study habits. her whippings were often worse than her husbands!
31. Tom was confused by Reverend Engles way of teaching. He could not learn through fear. Nor could he just
sit and memorize. He liked to see things for himself and ask questions. But Reverend Engle grew as
exasperated by Toms questions as Mr. Edison did. For that reason, Tom Learned very little in his first few
months, and his grades were bad.
32. Years later, Tom would say of his school experience, I remember I used to never be able to get along at
school. I was always at the foot (bottom) of the class. I used to feel that the teachers did not sympathize
with me, and that my father thought I was stupid.
33. Then, after Thomas Edison told his mother that his teacher had referred to him as addled, the two of them
went to the school in search of an apology, according to his biography:
34. My son is not backward! declared Mrs. Edison, adding, and I believe I ought to know. I taught children
once myself! Despite her efforts, neither the Reverend nor Mr.s Engle would change their opinion of
young Tom Edison. But Mrs. Edison was equally strong in her opinion. Finally, she realized what she had
to do.
35. All right, Mr.s Edison said, I am herby taking my son out of your school. Tom could hardly believe his
ears! Ill instruct him at home myself, he heard her say.
36. Tom looked up at his mother, this wonderful woman who believed in him. He promised himself that he
would make his mother proud of him.
37. Later in life, Edison said, My mother was the making of me. She was so true, so sure of me: and I felt I
had something to live for, someone I must not disappoint.
38. However, theres no record of Edisons quote from the inspirational story, Thomas Alva Edison was an
addled child that, by a hero mother, became the genius of the century.
39. So, its true that Thomas Edisons teacher called him addled or difficult, that his mother defended and
homeschooled him, and that she had a big impact on the man that he became. But the inspirational account
of Edisons mother hiding the teachers letter from him and lying about why he was being homeschooled
to help him reach his full potential is false.

Thomas Edison did not do well in school. One of his teachers said that he
was a poor and a lazy student. But this teacher could not have been more
wrong. Edison was actually dyslexic. Later in his life, he lost most of his
hearing. But he did not let either of these setbacks stop him from doing
great things with his mind. He is widely thought to be one of the smartest
people who ever lived. Edison was born in 1847. He grew up in Ohio and
Michigan. Due to his dyslexia, he went to school for just three months. He
was mostly schooled at home by his mother. From his mother, Edison
learned to love to read. He read all kinds of books. In fact, reading was what
helped him to become interested in science. As a young man, Edison lost all
of the hearing in his left ear. He lost 80 percent of the hearing in his right
ear, too. But he never gave up learning or working hard. At age 16, he made
his first invention. It was called the automatic repeater. It helped people to
send messages by telegraph. As an adult, Edison moved to Boston. He took
a job as a telegraph operator. In his free time, he worked on new inventions.
He did so well at inventing that he soon left his job and worked on
inventions full-time. In his lifetime, Edison made 1,093 inventions. Among
other things, he made the first light bulb. He created the first means of
electric light, heat, and power. He made the first motion picture (movie). He
also made the first phonograph. It was the first kind of machine to play
music. He created a voting machine and a stock ticker, too. A stock ticker
prints stock prices on paper tape. During World War I, the United States
government asked Edison for help. He made new items to help ships and
submarines find enemy ships and guns. These inventions helped in the
defense of the countrys east coast. In 1931, Edison passed away at the age
of 84. But his work has not been forgotten. He may be best remembered by
the words: Genius is one percent inspiration, 99 percent perspiration. Hard
work was what his life was all about.
Thomas Edisons Inventions have made profound impacts on society. So many of Thomas
Edisons inventions are held in such high regard that he is considered the greatest inventor of
all time. Following are just a few of Thomas Edisons inventions as well as Thomas Edisons
patents that he submitted to the patent office.

Thomas Edisons Phonograph

Considered to be the first great Thomas Edison invention, and his life-long favorite, the
phonograph would record the spoken voice and play it back.

When speaking into the receiver, the sound vibration of the voice would cause a needle to
create indentations on a drum wrapped with tin foil. Later Edison would adopt cylinders and
discs to permanently record music.

The first recorded message was of Thomas Edison speaking Mary had a little lamb, which
greatly delighted and surprised Edison and his staff when they first heard it played back to them.

Thomas Edisons Light Bulb

Thomas Edison is most well known for his invention of the light bulb. Contrary to popular belief,
Edison did not invent the light bulb; it had been around for a number of years. The electric lights
at the time, however, were unreliable, expensive, and short-lived. Over twenty distinct efforts by
other inventors the world over were already underway when Edison entered the light bulb
invention race.

By creating a vacuum inside the bulb, finding the right filament to use, and running lower voltage
through the bulb, Edison was able to achieve a light bulb that lasted for many hours. This was a
substantial improvement, and one that led with more improvements, to making the light bulb
practical and economical.

Of course, Edison also later invented the entire electric utility system so he could power all
those light bulbs, motors and other appliances that soon followed.
Thomas Edisons Motion Picture

Edisons initial work in motion pictures (1888-89) was inspired byMuybridges analysis of
motion. The first Edison device resembled his phonograph, with a spiral arrangement of 1/16
inch photographs made on a cylinder. Viewed with a microscope, these first motion pictures
were rather crude, and hard to focus. Working with W. K. L. Dickson, Edison then developed the
Strip Kinetograph, using George Eastmans improved 35 mm celluloid film. Cut into continuous
strips and perforated along the edges, the film was moved by sprockets in a stop-and-go motion
behind the shutter.

In Edisons movie studio, technically known as a Kinetographic Theater, but nicknamed The
Black Maria (1893), Edison and his staff filmed short movies for later viewing with his peep hole
Kinetoscopes (1894). One-person at a time could view the movies via the Kinetoscope. Each
Kinetoscope was about 4 feet tall, 20 inches square, and had a peep hole magnifier that allowed
the patron to view 50 feet of film in about 20 seconds. A battery-operated lamp allowed the film
to be illuminated.
Thomas Edisons First Invention The
Electrographic Vote Recorder

Edison was 22 years old and working as a telegrapher when he filed his first patent for the
Electrographic Vote Recorder.

The device was made with the goal of helping legislators in the US Congress record their votes
in a quicker fashion than the voice vote system.

To work, a voting device was connected to a clerks desk where the names of the legislators
were embedded. The legislators would move a switch to either yes or no, sending electric
current to the device at the clerks desk. Yes and No wheels kept track of the votes and
tabulated the final results.

Thomas Edisons Magnetic Iron Ore Separator

Thomas Edison experimented during the 1880s and 1890s with using magnets to separate iron
ore from low grade, unusable ores. His giant mine project in northwestern NJ consumed huge
amounts of money as experimentation plodded forward.

Engineering problems and a decline in the price of iron ore [the discovery of the Mesabi iron rich
ore deposits near the Great Lakes] lead this invention to be abandoned.

But later, Edison used what he learned with rock grinding to make his own robust version of
Portland Cement, Edison Portland Cement, a very good product that built Yankee Stadium.
Along the way, Edison totally revolutionized the cement kiln industry.