In August 1862, Edison used his fearless heroism to rescue a boy who was about to be killed on the train tracks. The child's father was grateful for this, but since he had no money to repay him, he was willing to teach him telegraph skills. From then on, Edison became involved with this mysterious new world of electricity and embarked on a scientific journey.
In 1863, Edison served as a telegraph operator at the Stratford Junction Station of the Grand Trunk Railway. From 1864 to 1867, he worked as a telegraph operator in various places in the Midwest and lived a wandering life. His footprints include Stratford, Adrian, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Nashville, Tennessee, Memphis, Louisville, Huron and other places.
In 1868, Edison came to Boston as a telegraph operator. In the same year, he received his first invention patent. This is a device that automatically records votes. Edison thought the device would speed up the work of Congress and that it would be welcomed. However, one MP told him that they had no intention of speeding up the agenda and that sometimes voting slowly was politically necessary. From then on, Edison decided not to make any inventions that people didn't need.
In early June 1869, he came to New York to look for work. While he was waiting to be summoned at a broker's office, a telegraph machine broke down. Edison was the only one there who could fix the telegraph, and he got a better job than he expected. In October, he and Pope jointly established a "Pop-Edison Company" to specialize in scientific instruments for electrical engineering. Here, he invented the "Edison Printing Press." He dedicated the printing press to the manager of a large Wall Street company. He wanted to ask for $5,000, but he lacked the courage to say it. So he asked the manager to give him a price, and the manager gave him $40,000.
Edison used the money to build a factory on Ward Street in Newark, New Jersey, specializing in manufacturing various electrical machinery. He worked all night long. He trained many capable assistants, and at the same time, he also happened to meet the diligent Mary, his future first bride. In Newark, he made inventions such as wax paper and mimeograph machines. From 1872 to 1875, Edison invented the double and quadruple telegraph machines, and helped others build the world's first English typewriter.
In the spring of 1876, Edison moved again, this time to "Menlo Park" in New Jersey. He built the first "invention factory" here, which "marked the collective research "The Beginning". In 1877, Edison improved the early telephone invented by Bell and put it into practical use. He also invented one of his pet projects, the phonograph. The telephone and telegraph "were a revolution that expanded the capabilities of the human senses." "; The phonograph is one of the three great inventions that changed people's lives. "From the perspective of inventive imagination, this is his extremely important invention achievement." By this time, people called him "The Magician of Menlo Park." .
While inventing the phonograph, Edison finally made a breakthrough in the research on electric lights after numerous failures. On October 22, 1879, Edison ignited the first electric light with widespread practical value. In order to extend the life of the filament, he tried again and tried more than 6,000 fiber materials before he found a new luminous body - Japanese bamboo filament, which can last for more than 1,000 hours, achieving the purpose of durability in a certain aspect. Said that this invention was the crowning achievement of Edison's life. He then created a power supply system that allowed distant lamps to distribute power from a central power station, which was a major technological achievement.