NAME Thomas Alva Edison
WHAT FAMOUS FOR Inventor of numerous devices, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and the long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. He is also famous for his development of a complete electrical distribution system.
BIRTH Thomas Alva Edison was born on February 11, 1847, in Milan, Ohio, USA.
FAMILY BACKGROUND Edison was the seventh and last child of Samuel Ogden Edison, Jr. and Nancy Matthews Elliott. His father, originally from Nova Scotia, Canada, was a shingle maker and grain feed dealer. Samuel had been involved in a plot to overthrow the Canadian government but escaped to the U.S. with the help of barge captain Alva Bradley, after whom Thomas was named. His mother, Nancy, was a schoolteacher.
CHILDHOOD Edison grew up in Port Huron, Michigan. From a young age, he was intensely curious about how things worked and conducted small experiments at home. At age 9, he read Parker’s Natural and Experimental Philosophy, which fueled his interest in science. By the time he had reached his teen years he had his own laboratory in his father's basement. He spent all his earnings on chemicals to stock his home laboratory.
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| Edison in 1861 |
EDUCATION Edison briefly attended school in Port Huron but was considered too difficult to teach because he constantly questioned everything. His teachers labeled him as unintelligent, leading his mother to withdraw him from school and educate him at home. From age 7 to 12, he was self-taught, reading extensively on a wide range of subjects, including history, science, and philosophy.
CAREER RECORD Started selling newspapers and candy on trains.
Worked as a telegraph operator.
Established his own research and development laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey.
Founded numerous companies, including General Electric.
Held over 1,000 patents.
In 1889 Edison was claiming to be working a regular 20 hour day the remaining 4 hours he devoted to sleep (a)
APPEARANCE Thomas Edison's physical appearance was notable for several distinctive features. He was of medium height, approximately 5' 10" (1.78 m), and possessed a large head, which some speculated was due to his remarkable brain. His face was characterized by deep-set eyes, prominent cheekbones, and, in his younger years, wavy, often unkempt hair. As he aged, his expression tended to become more serious and determined, a look frequently captured in photographs of him at work in his laboratory.
Beyond his facial features, Edison's hands were often stained by the acids he worked with, and his teeth were discolored from tobacco use. His complexion was described as that of someone who spent little time outdoors. His employees often referred to him as "The Old Man."
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| Edison in 1889 |
FASHION Edison typically dressed in formal but practical clothing, favoring dark suits, bow ties, and waistcoats. He preferred comfort over style, often appearing slightly disheveled due to his relentless focus on work, wearing the same old dirty suit for years on end.
Edison didn't wear overcoats, preferring to wear a second set of underclothes as it restricted his movement.
SPEAKING VOICE Edison had a soft but firm speaking voice. He became partially deaf at a young age, which led him to speak with a slightly unusual tone. Despite his hearing loss, he remained an excellent communicator, explaining complex ideas in simple terms.
SENSE OF HUMOUR Edison was known for springing practical jokes and engaging in playful antics with his colleagues. He enjoyed being the butt of jokes and fostered a collaborative environment where humor was integral to team dynamics.
Edison showed his sense of humor by giving his first two children, Marion and Thomas Jr., the nicknames "Dot" and "Dash" in honor of telegraphy.
Edison once asked a math graduate to calculate the volume of a light bulb using complex math. After the graduate spent hours on the task, Edison revealed that he had simply filled the bulb with water to find its volume, showcasing his practical and humorous approach to problem-solving.
Edison even recorded jokes, such as one about a healthy liver, on his Edison Blue Amberol cylinder in 1906.
RELATIONSHIPS Edison married Mary Stilwell on December 25, 1871 at Newark, New Jersey, where Mary worked at Edison's subsidiary, the News Reporting Telegraph Company.
The couple had three children: Marion Estelle, Thomas Jr., and William Leslie. Edison nicknamed Marion “Dot” and Thomas Jr. “Dash.”
The couple were happy despite the workaholic Thomas spending little time with his wife. When Mary died at age 29 of typhoid fever, it left Edison devastated. and he dealt with his grief by losing himself in work.
Edison proposed to his second wife, the beautiful Mina Miller, who was 18 years his junior, using Morse code. He taught Mina Morse code so they could communicate secretly while their families were present. Edison tapped out a marriage proposal on Mina's palm during a chaperoned trip to the White Mountains, and she responded with a provisional "yes" in code, pending her father's approval.
Edison married Mina on February 24, 1886 in Akron, Ohio, at the home of a mutual friend, Ezra Gilliland. They had three children: Madeline, Charles, and Theodore. Charles later became the governor of New Jersey.
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| Mina Edison, 1906 |
Both of Edison’s wives suffered from severe depression. His eldest son, Thomas Jr., became an alcoholic and hypochondriac who eventually committed suicide.
MONEY AND FAME Edison, widely known as the "Wizard of Menlo Park," held an extraordinary reputation that significantly impacted the financial markets. His mere announcement in 1878 that he was developing electric lighting caused a dramatic plunge in the price of illuminating gas stocks, demonstrating the immense faith the public placed in his innovative abilities. This trust was further exemplified when, upon discovering a defect in one of his company's batteries, he personally offered to refund all buyers, a gesture that ultimately cost him a staggering £1 million.
Despite his significant contributions to technology and numerous successful inventions, Edison faced financial challenges throughout his life, including periods of near bankruptcy due to costly ventures. The latter part of his life was marked by financial setbacks, including unsuccessful attempts to popularize poured formed concrete houses and to produce rubber from goldenrod. These ventures, while innovative, ultimately failed to capture public interest or overcome technical challenges, leaving Edison's later years financially strained.
At the time of his death in 1931, Thomas Edison's net worth was approximately $12 million. Adjusted for inflation, this amount is equivalent to about $170 million in today's dollars.
BUSINESS CAREER Edison began his entrepreneurial career selling snacks and newspapers on trains. By age 15, he was employing other boys to work for him. He also started a newspaper, The Grand Trunk Herald, the first newspaper printed on a moving train.
His telegraphy career began after he saved three-year-old Jimmie MacKenzie from an oncoming train. In gratitude, Jimmie’s father taught Edison telegraphy. Edison became one of the fastest operators in the country and invented several improvements for the telegraph system, including a stock ticker.
At 22, he worked for a stock ticker service. When the system broke down in a panic, he quickly repaired it, impressing management so much that they made him foreman on the spot.
In 1869, Edison sold his first teleprinter to Western Union for $40,000, far exceeding his expectations of $5,000. This substantial sum allowed him to establish an industrial research laboratory. Similarly, the sale of his quadruplex telegraph in 1874, capable of sending four simultaneous signals over a single wire, provided another significant financial boost. When Western Union offered $10,000 for the patent rights, Edison was once again astounded by the generous offer. He strategically promoted his inventions by hosting parties for scientists and journalists, effectively garnering public attention and support for his work.
Edison was an innovative businessman, but not all of his ventures were successful. His last years were plagued by financial failures, including his attempts to make houses out of poured concrete and to produce rubber from goldenrod, which decomposed too quickly.
Nonetheless, his legacy as one of the greatest inventors in history remains unmatched.
FOOD AND DRINK Thomas Edison believed in starting the day with a hearty breakfast, which he considered essential for his demanding work schedule. However, he rarely ate much else during the day, consuming food only when he felt the need. "A pound of food a day is all I need when I am working," he once said. (a)
His wife and children often dined without him, as Edison’s eating habits were dictated by his work, not by traditional mealtimes.
Edison had little patience for formal dinners and found them tedious. On one occasion, he was so bored at a dinner party that he attempted to slip away to his laboratory. Just as he was nearing the exit, his host stopped him and asked, "It certainly is a delight to see you, Mr. Edison. What are you working on now?" Edison, known for his sharp wit, simply replied, "My exit." (2)
He was also a heavy smoker, consuming up to 20 cigars a day, favoring Havanas. Additionally, he had a lifelong habit of chewing tobacco.
During long research sessions that stretched into the night, he reportedly drank "wine coca," a medicinal tonic made from coca leaves, the same plant from which cocaine is derived.
MUSIC AND ARTS Thomas Edison possessed a deep appreciation for music, though his own vocal aspirations were cut short. Once a passionate singer, he reportedly damaged his voice while striving "to get an intelligible sound through my telephone," as he stated in a Daily Mail interview in 1897.
When attending theatrical productions with his wife, she would often translate the dialogue for him by tapping Morse code onto his knee.
Edison was a pioneer in the nascent film industry, establishing the first film studio within his laboratory complex. His initial cinematic endeavors involved his employees performing charades for the camera, with one of his early films titled Fun in a Chinese Laundry.
Edison also created numerous experimental short films, some lasting only a few seconds, primarily to test his equipment. One particularly brief film captured a man sneezing in a mere one and a half seconds.
These early films were often shot in a small, tar-paper-covered building known as "The Black Mariah," named for its resemblance to a police wagon. This structure was mounted on a circular track, allowing it to be rotated to capture optimal sunlight.
He later produced The Great Train Robbery in 1903, a landmark film that introduced narrative storytelling to the medium. This production, costing a mere $100, yielded an impressive $20,000 in earnings.
Despite inventing the phonograph, Edison's initial vision was for it to serve as a business dictation device. The concept of recorded music was not his primary focus and his company was remarkably slow to capitalize on the burgeoning recorded music market. The first gramophone record contained only his voice reciting the nursery rhyme, "Mary had a little lamb."
Edison also played an important role in shaping communication. The word "Hello" became widely used after he suggested it as the proper way to answer the telephone. His competitor, Alexander Graham Bell, had proposed "Ahoy," but Edison's suggestion ultimately prevailed.
LITERATURE Edison was an avid reader, though he mostly skimmed through books to extract useful information quickly. Even in his teenage years, Thomas Edison displayed a remarkable intellectual curiosity, evidenced by his reading of complex works like Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire and Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy.
This early thirst for knowledge was matched by his entrepreneurial spirit. In 1862, he launched a weekly newspaper, the Grand Trunk Herald, which he printed from a freight car that also functioned as his makeshift laboratory.
Though he possessed normal eyesight, Edison enjoyed reading Braille.
His personal library, a testament to his wide-ranging interests, comprised approximately 30,000 volumes, primarily focused on scientific subjects.
NATURE Edison enjoyed spending time outdoors, particularly during his later years when he would go on camping trips with friends like Henry Ford.
Edison’s interest in nature extended beyond scientific curiosity. In 1925, industrialist Harvey Firestone gifted him a banyan tree for his rubber experiments. That tree has since grown into the largest banyan tree in the continental United States, a lasting symbol of Edison’s passion for innovation and discovery.
PETS Thomas Edison had an interest in birds and collected information on over 5,000 kinds of birds
HOBBIES AND SPORTS Thomas Edison played a pivotal role in the early development of sports filmmaking. He captured the first known film of a sporting event, a six-round boxing match between Mike Leonard and Jack Cushing on June 14, 1894. Prior to this, he had also convinced James Corbett, the world boxing champion, to perform a staged boxing match for his camera.
SCIENCE AND MATHS From an early age, Edison developed a strong interest in chemistry. He maintained a home laboratory where he conducted experiments, often using materials he collected during his travels.
Thomas Edison's genius lay in his technological innovation rather than fundamental scientific discovery. While he contributed minimally to original scientific knowledge, he made a crucial observation in 1883: the "Edison effect." This phenomenon, the flow of electrons from a heated filament, held profound implications for the future of electronics, though its significance remained largely unrecognized for several years.
INVENTING CAREER Thomas Edison was, by all accounts, a man of astonishing productivity, a relentless workaholic who seemed to exist solely to generate patents and avoid a good night’s sleep. Over a 14-year stretch, he churned out a new invention every five days, which, for context, means he was creating something new at roughly the same rate most of us do our laundry. By the time he finally stopped filing patents—presumably because he had run out of things left to invent—he had accumulated a staggering 1,069 of them.
1. Early inventions
His brilliance was accompanied by a certain eccentricity. While living in Memphis in 1866–67, he took it upon himself to develop a device for electrocuting cockroaches, an invention that, sadly, did not catapult him to fame. His first official invention, however, was a voting machine for Congress, designed to speed up the process by allowing legislators to press a button for "yes" or "no" votes. This, of course, was instantly rejected, as it was far too efficient for American politics.
2. The Mimeograph—Because Paperwork Wasn’t Tedious Enough
In 1878, Edison patented a duplicating machine called the mimeograph, a device that forced ink through a stencil to create multiple copies of a document. While revolutionary for its time, it also meant that generations of schoolchildren would suffer through worksheets printed in that distinctive blue ink, which had a smell that somehow made you feel both nostalgic and slightly ill.
3. The Phonograph—Invented Almost by Accident
Edison’s most famous invention—the phonograph—happened, rather fittingly, by accident. In 1877, while fiddling around with a way to record telegraph signals, he discovered that a diaphragm attached to a stylus could imprint sound waves onto a foil-covered cylinder. Being Edison, he immediately patented the thing and, on December 6, 1877, made history by recording the first ever snippet of audio: a recitation of "Mary had a little lamb." One can only imagine the confusion of future historians if, by some cosmic mishap, this had been the only surviving record of human civilization.
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| Edison with the second model of his phonograph |
For a man with an astounding ability to invent things, Thomas Edison was often surprisingly bad at recognizing what he had invented. Take the phonograph, for example. While it would go on to revolutionize music, Edison initially envisioned it as a tool for office dictation, an early version of the voicemail that nobody listens to. The idea of selling recorded music never even occurred to him, which is a bit like inventing fire and using it only to warm your soup.
By the time his company finally waded into the recorded music business, it was playing catch-up. In 1926—long after competitors had cashed in—Edison released discs featuring 450 grooves per inch, allowing for a whole 20 minutes of music per side. This, for context, meant that for the first time in human history, people could listen to an entire symphony without having to sprint across the room and flip the record halfway through.
4. Moving Pictures—Or, How Edison Almost Invented the Movies
Edison’s first attempt at moving pictures was, as so many of his projects were, an interesting failure. His initial "optical phonograph" didn’t quite work as intended, which was just as well because "optical phonograph" is one of those names that suggests no one involved really understood what they were building. Undeterred, Edison did what all great inventors do—he handed the problem off to an assistant.
That assistant was William Dickson, a photographer who, unlike Edison, actually understood optics. Dickson abandoned Edison’s original approach and instead used 50-foot strips of celluloid film, developing what would become the kinetoscope—a machine that allowed people to watch short films through a peephole. This was a great success, though not for Dickson, who was given roughly the same level of recognition as the guy who brings coffee to an Oscar-winning director. After years of working under Edison, he finally had enough and left in 1895 following a dispute, which is a polite way of saying that Edison refused to share credit with the person who actually made the thing work.
Edison, for his part, remained convinced that his invention would never amount to much, yet he was also so possessive of it that the fledgling film industry spent years trying to wrestle free from his iron grip. He did, however, build the world’s first film studio, a tar-paper-covered wooden shack nicknamed The Black Mariah because it resembled a police wagon. The entire structure was mounted on a circular track so it could be rotated to follow the sun—a level of ingenuity that makes you wonder why Edison didn’t put that much thought into naming his inventions.
His early films were, as you might expect, odd little experiments. Some lasted mere seconds, featuring employees miming for the camera, and one, titled Fun in a Chinese Laundry, did not age well. But in 1894, Edison filmed a six-round boxing match, making it the first sports broadcast of any kind, and by 1903, he had produced The Great Train Robbery, the first dramatic film, which cost $100 to make and earned an astonishing $20,000—proving that even in the earliest days of cinema, crime paid.
5. The Light Bulb—And an Alarming Obsession with Bamboo
The light bulb, of course, is what Edison is most famous for, though, in reality, British chemist Joseph Swan had already invented a version of it. What Edison did was take the idea and refine it, mostly by locking himself away in his lab for thousands of hours and testing more than 1,200 different varieties of bamboo to find the perfect filament. (Why bamboo? No one knows. But given Edison’s love of improbable solutions, we should be grateful he didn’t try something even stranger, like pickled onions or strands of his own hair.)
On October 21, 1879, after exhaustive testing, he finally found a filament that worked. It lasted 13.5 hours—barely enough time to get through a workday by Edison’s standards—but it was enough to spark a revolution. Further refinements allowed carbonized bamboo to burn for over 1,000 hours in a vacuum, and on December 31, 1879, Edison publicly demonstrated his incandescent bulb, illuminating the world in a way that would forever change human civilization—and significantly reduce the need for whale oil.
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| Edison's first successful model of light bulb http://www.classstudio.com/ |
For someone who spent his life illuminating the world, Thomas Edison had an uncanny knack for being left in the dark—at least when it came to recognition. Take, for instance, the reaction of a British parliamentary committee to his light bulb. After careful review, they dismissed it with the splendidly condescending remark: "It is good enough for our transatlantic friends but unworthy of the attention of practical or scientific men." One imagines Edison reading this, possibly by candlelight, and thinking, Well, that’s just rude.
6. Bringing Electricity to the Masses (Whether They Wanted It or Not)
Edison was not the type to be deterred by skepticism—British, judicial, or otherwise. Determined to bring electricity to the people, he took a wonderfully direct approach: he dug up roads and stuffed them with cables. This was an improvement over his original plan, which was to power homes with massive, personal generators—because if there’s one thing history has taught us, it’s that people love having industrial machinery installed in their basements.
In 1882, Edison flipped the switch on the first hydroelectric plant, the steam-driven Pearl Street Station, which successfully powered one square of New York City. Naturally, this did not go down well with the gas companies, who immediately sued him in what was, essentially, a battle over the right to set people’s homes on fire in entirely different ways. The court, caught between the fire hazards of gas and the electrocution risks of this newfangled electricity, ruled that anything over 100 volts was simply too much excitement for the average household.
7. Edison’s Later Years: More Experiments, More Lawsuits, and Some Mild Necromancy
Never one to do things by halves, Edison conducted 20,000 experiments in his quest for a reliable storage battery. Most people would have quit somewhere around the 500-mark, but Edison pressed on, cheerfully remarking, “Why, I have gotten a lot of results. I know 20,000 things that won’t work.” This is a profoundly optimistic way to look at failure and, incidentally, a perfect excuse for anyone who has ever ruined a recipe, crashed a computer, or locked themselves out of their own car.
His dream was that his new alkaline storage battery would revolutionize transportation, making electric cars as competitive as their gasoline-powered counterparts. This, of course, did not happen, because gasoline engines continued to dominate, and electric cars remained a charming but largely impractical curiosity—until about a century later when a man with a penchant for naming things after Edison’s rival (cough Elon Musk cough) resurrected the idea.
But of all his lesser-known experiments, perhaps the most delightfully odd was his attempt to build a machine that could amplify weak vibrations from the dead. In short, Edison—father of recorded sound, pioneer of moving pictures, bringer of electric light—also tried to invent a ghost phone. It did not, to anyone’s great surprise, work.
Still, Edison managed to collect 1,093 U.S. patents and 2,332 worldwide—a record that stood unbroken until 2003. Out of all of them, the phonograph remained his personal favorite, possibly because it was the one invention that neither tried to kill people nor required years of expensive litigation.
All things considered, it was an extraordinary life. Not bad for a man whose ideas were once deemed unworthy of practical or scientific men.
PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY Although Thomas Edison brought electricity to the masses, his own spiritual beliefs were far from conventional. He was a freethinking deist and rejected organized religion. He once declared, “So far as the religion of the day is concerned, it’s a damned fake… Religion is all bunk.”
Edison often expressed his disbelief in traditional religious concepts, viewing them as lacking scientific basis and often misleading. Despite his criticism of organized religion, Edison believed in a Supreme Intelligence or Nature, which he saw as a guiding force in the universe However, his approach to life was guided by reason and scientific inquiry rather than faith.
POLITICS Edison’s motto, which was posted throughout his laboratories, read: “There is no expedient to which a man will not go to avoid the real labour of thinking.” This belief in hard work extended into his views on business and labor. He considered ethics to have no place in business, and his workers toiled long hours in hazardous conditions for low wages.
SCANDAL In his later years, Edison became known for his controversial and offensive remarks. He often committed social faux pas by making racist and anti-Semitic comments before the press, tarnishing his legacy in some circles.
MILITARY RECORD In April 1862 during his newsboy times, Edison read about the Battle of Shiloh during the Civil War. He brought 1,000 copies of the Detroit Free Press with accounts of this bloody battle. Edison arranged for news of this battle to be telegraphed up line to waiting passengers at the stations, hawked up the price and raked in the cash.
During World War I, Thomas Edison dedicated his innovative mind to supporting the U.S. military, particularly the Navy. In 1915, he was appointed chairman, and later president, of the Naval Consulting Board, a body established to bridge the gap between civilian expertise and naval technological needs. Despite his eagerness to contribute, Edison's tenure was marked by friction with the Navy regarding the proposed Naval Research Laboratory, culminating in his resignation in December 1920.
Edison's contributions extended beyond administrative roles. He developed an impressive array of inventions and prototypes, numbering over 49, aimed at enhancing military capabilities. His work focused heavily on submarine detection and evasion, featuring devices like sea anchors for swift ship maneuvering and listening devices to pinpoint submarine locations. He also explored camouflage techniques, smoke bombs, and evasive maneuvers to protect ships from torpedo attacks. His research encompassed aviation as well, with projects including direction finders for enemy planes and sound ranging devices to locate enemy artillery. Edison conducted extensive experimental work, notably aboard the USS Sachem on Long Island Sound, and continued his research in Washington, D.C., and Key West, Florida.
Beyond his practical contributions, Edison was a staunch advocate for military preparedness. He recognized the pivotal role of technology and industrial organization in modern warfare, predicting that future conflicts would be dominated by machines rather than traditional infantry. He stressed the need for the United States to embrace technological advancements to ensure its national security.
HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FITNESS Edison was a sickly child, and his health struggles continued into his early years. A bout of scarlet fever left him partially deaf, and an accident further worsened his condition. While trying to climb into a freight car with his arms full of newspapers, a conductor lifted him into the car by his ears. Edison felt something snap in his head, and his deafness began to progress.
However, as he grew older, Edison developed an impressive constitution, aided by his strong heart. He was able to work long hours, often through the night, with little rest. He required very little sleep and would sustain himself with short naps of 30 minutes to an hour when necessary. He even kept cots in his office and laboratory for this purpose.
Edison attributed his longevity to his diet, which included drinking two glasses of milk at each meal.
HOMES
In 1876, Edison moved to Menlo Park, New Jersey, where he opened the first large scientific research workshop in the world. This facility became the birthplace of many of his groundbreaking inventions.
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| Edison's Menlo Park Lab in 1880 |
In 1886, he purchased a 23-room mansion known as Glenmont in West Orange, New Jersey, as a wedding gift for his wife, Mina. The following year, he moved his laboratory from Menlo Park to West Orange, where he built an even larger research facility. His summer residence in West Orange featured many labor-saving devices, including an unusually heavy turnstile. When asked why it was so difficult to move, Edison explained, "Everyone who pushes the turnstile around pumps 8 gallons of water onto the tank of my roof."
In the early 1900s, Edison purchased a winter home in Fort Myers, Florida, called Seminole Lodge. His friend and fellow industrialist, Henry Ford, lived across the street at his own winter retreat, The Mangoes. Ironically, Edison's home was initially the only house in Fort Myers not lit by electricity. He once remarked, "There is only one Fort Myers, and 90 million people will find it out."
TRAVEL Edison did not often take vacations, but every seven or eight years, he would retreat to his home in Fort Myers, Florida. Despite being an innovator in transportation technology, he never drove any vehicle, whether a horse-drawn buggy or an automobile.
DEATH Edison continued working until the very end of his life. On October 18, 1931, he passed away in his sleep at his West Orange home at 3:24 a.m. His wife, Mina, signaled his death to the waiting press in a symbolic way—by turning a light on, rather than off, in his bedroom.
The funeral took place at Glenmont, Edison's estate in West Orange, New Jersey, on October 21, 1931. This date coincided with the 52nd anniversary of the perfection of the incandescent light bulb. Prominent guests included First Lady Lou Henry Hoover, Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone, and Col. Francois Pillon from the French Embassy.
Edison's favorite songs, "I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen" and "Little Gray Home in the West," were played on the organ. Other musical pieces included works by Bach, Beethoven, and Wagner.
Edison was initially buried at Rosedale Cemetery in East Orange, New Jersey, on October 20, 1931. However, he was later reinterred behind his home at Glenmont, West Orange, New Jersey.
President Herbert Hoover suggested that Americans turn off their lights for one minute as a tribute to Edison, highlighting the nation's dependence on electricity.
Flags were flown at half-staff in New York City, and schools observed a moment of silence
One of the more unusual tributes to Edison came from Henry Ford. Ford asked Edison's son, Charles, to collect an exhaled breath from his father’s dying lungs. The breath was captured in a test tube, which Ford kept as a memento, along with Edison’s hat and shoes.
APPEARANCES IN MEDIA Thomas Edison has been a popular figure in media for over a century, often portrayed as the quintessential American inventor—brilliant, relentless, and occasionally a bit ruthless. His appearances range from historical dramas to cartoons, documentaries, and even video games.
Here are some notable examples of how Edison has been depicted in pop culture:
1. Films & Television
Young Tom Edison (1940) & Edison, the Man (1940) – These two films starred Mickey Rooney and Spencer Tracy, respectively, and painted a highly romanticized portrait of Edison as a plucky, self-made genius.
The Current War (2017) – A more recent take on Edison’s legacy, this film starred Benedict Cumberbatch as Edison, chronicling his fierce rivalry with Nikola Tesla (Nicholas Hoult) and George Westinghouse (Michael Shannon) in the race to electrify America. It focused on his stubborn insistence on direct current (DC) over alternating current (AC) and his aggressive tactics in the so-called "War of the Currents."
Doctor Who – “Nikola Tesla’s Night of Terror” (2020) – Edison appears as a character played by Robert Glenister. The episode portrays him as a shrewd businessman and contrasts his cutthroat approach with Tesla’s idealism.
2. Documentaries
Edison: The Father of Invention (2015) – A Smithsonian Channel documentary that takes a critical but comprehensive look at Edison’s life and work.
Genius of the Modern World: Thomas Edison (2016) – A BBC documentary that places Edison in the context of other great thinkers like Karl Marx and Friedrich Nietzsche.
3. Literature
Edison’s Conquest of Mars (1898) – A bizarre sci-fi novel by Garrett P. Serviss that imagines Edison leading an expedition to Mars in the aftermath of H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds.
Graham Moore’s The Last Days of Night (2016) – A historical novel based on the battle between Edison and Westinghouse, later adapted into The Current War.
4. Video Games
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate (2015) – Edison is a minor figure in the game, and players can even steal blueprints for Tesla to spite him.
Tesla vs. Edison: War of Currents (2015) – A strategy board game where players take on the roles of famous inventors, including Edison, in an economic and technological battle for dominance.
5. Cartoons & Comics
The Venture Bros. – Features an Edison clone as part of its absurdist take on history.
Atomic Robo – A comic book series that portrays Edison as a villainous rival to Nikola Tesla.
Futurama – Edison occasionally pops up in references and jokes, often in contrast to Tesla, whom the show portrays more favorably.
6. Music and other tributes
"Edison" by The Bee Gees (1993) – A song paying homage to his inventive spirit.
Edison's legacy continues to be honored around the world. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan declared February 11—Edison’s birthday—as National Inventors’ Day in recognition of his contributions to science and industry.
In an unexpected tribute, a small town in Kyoto, Japan, holds a yearly festival in his honor. Edison used bamboo from the town of Yawata to create filaments for his light bulbs, extending their burn time from 40 hours to 1,000. A monument dedicated to him stands next to a shrine in the town.
ACHIEVEMENTS Edison revolutionized modern life with his inventions. He held over 1,000 patents, with innovations in electricity, sound recording, and motion pictures. He designed the first hydroelectric plant, making widespread electricity a reality.
Sources (a) The Penguin Book of Interviews (2) The Faber Book Of Anecdotes, Europress Family Encyclopedia 1999.
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