Thomas Edison

Thomas Edison

It was on February 11, 1847 that a person was born that forever changed America. Thomas Alva Edison was born in Milan, Ohio to a family that was part Dutch and part British. He lived in Milan with his family until 1854 when his family settled in Port Huron, Michigan. There he attended a public school for three months. These three months would be the only form of public schooling that Edison would have. His mother continued to teach him reading, writing, and arithmetic. She also read him well-known English authors such as Shakespeare and Charles Dickens. Around the age of twelve, Edison’s hearing started to decline. This decline could have possibly been attributed to scarlet fever, which he contracted. This, however, did not stop him. Edison even looked at his deafness as an asset sometimes. His inability to hear allowed him to concentrate fully on his experiments and inventions.

Edison began working at an early age and continued his work up until his death. He was extremely well known for his focus and determination. In Edison’s lifetime, he patented more than 1000 inventions. Some of these patents included the electric light, the phonograph, and the motion-picture camera. These inventions greatly affected