Thomas Edison: An Inventor and a Businessman

Thomas Edison: An inventor and a businessman

Thomas Alva Edison was an inventor and a businessman. He had created many devices that influenced the world at that time. Edison was among the first to apply principles of mass production to the process of invention. ("Thomas Edison". Wikipedia.com 1). A lot of inventions were original, and some inventions were improvements of earlier inventions. He was known for being very creative, never giving up, and being extremely competitive.

His invention left a huge mark on society as we know it. To do something like that one indubitably must have creative mind. During his life he invented more than 1093 inventions ("Thomas Edison." The Inventions 1). These inventions wouldn't even be mentioned if he wasn't doubted in his earlier years by school teachers and class mates. They would call him different names and make fun of him. His mom was forced to pull him out of school and educate him herself after only three months in school. ("Thomas Edison". Wikipedia.com 2) Thomas Edison showed great interest in mechanical things and that's how his life of the inventor begun. The first great invention created by Edison was the tin foil phonograph ("Thomas Edison." The Inventions 1). Edison discovered this while testing the effectiveness of the telegraph; he found that the tape inside the telegraph when played back resembled spoken word. The machine had two needles, one for recording and one for playback. The sound would have sent vibrations to the needle and it would be indented onto a cylinder. Thomas Edison named it cylinder phonograph. The

cylinder phonograph is the first machine to record and reproduce sound. This brought fame to Edison's doorsteps. ("Thomas Edison" The Failed 1).

Being known for strong will and determination, Edison spent more then ten years working on a light bulb. Edison wanted to improve the light bulb by inserting a carbonized filament and an improved vacuum inside the bulb. In order for Edison to accomplish this he had to first create a seven step list to complete his two improvements.

The contents of this list include the parallel circuit, a durable light bulb, an improved dynamo, the underground conductor network, the devices for maintaining constant voltage, safety fuses and insulating materials, and light sockets with on-off switches. ("Thomas Edison." The History 1). Once he had created it he was ready to present it to the public. The first public demonstration of Edison's lighting system was at the Menlo Park Laboratory Complex in December 1879("Thomas Edison." The Wizard 1). Edison would spend next several years helping create what we know now as the electric industry. The success of Edison's electric light was shown on the increase of his wealth and fame. His electricity was spreading world wide. His had few electric companies that were constantly growing. Finally in 1889 they all merged to create Edison General Electric ("Thomas Edison." The History 1).

Edison was extremely competitive. His biggest rival was Nikola Tesla. Tesla's inventions were sponsored by George Westinghouse. One of the biggest disagreements was in the use of current. While Edison was promoting direct current (DC), the

Westinghouse Corporation was in favor of alternating current (AC), created by Tesla. AC was far more effective and it is a type of current we use today. Thomas Edison was determined not to back down. He saw an opportunity in creating an electrical chair, despite his contempt for capital punishment. Of course Westinghouse Corporation was trying to create one as well. Edison began the challenge by slandering