Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931): American, although he only studied in school for three months in his life, because of his diligent study, diligent thinking, and invention He invented more than a thousand achievements such as electric lights, telegraphs, phonographs, and movies, and became a famous inventor. He was known as the "King of Inventions" and made great contributions to human civilization and progress.
Edison was also a great entrepreneur. In 1879, Edison founded the "Edison Electric Lighting Company". In 1880, incandescent lamps were put on the market. In 1890, Edison had organized its various businesses into Edison General Electric Company. In 1891, Edison patented his thin-filament, high-vacuum incandescent light bulb. In 1892, Tom Houston Company and Edison Electric and Lighting Company merged to form General Electric Company, beginning GE's century-long dominance in the electrical field.
Edison was born on February 12, 1847, in the small town of Milan, Ohio, in the midwestern United States. His father is of Dutch descent, and his mother worked as a primary school teacher and is of Scottish descent. When Edison was 7 years old, his father lost money in the roofing business, so the family moved to Fort Gratiot in the northern suburbs of Huron, Michigan. Shortly after moving here, Edison contracted scarlet fever and remained ill for a long time. The disease was believed to be the cause of his deafness. Edison went to school at the age of 8, but after only three months of studying, he was dismissed by the teacher as an "imbecile" and kicked out of school (he was ordered to drop out of school for being "stupid and confused"). From then on, his mother became his "teacher" and decided to teach her son how to read and write, and educate him to be honest, love the motherland, and love mankind. Because of his mother's good education methods, he developed a strong interest in reading. "He not only read a lot of books, but he also read ten lines at a glance and could recite them after reading them." When he was 8 years old, he read the works of Shakespeare and Dickens, the most important playwrights of the British Renaissance, and many important historical books. By the age of 9, he could quickly read more difficult books, such as Parker's "Nature and Nature". Experimental Philosophy.
Edison’s earliest interest in natural science was in chemistry. I loved chemistry when I was 10 years old. He collected about two hundred bottles and saved every penny to buy chemicals to put in the bottles. At the age of 11, he experimented with his first telegraph. To earn money to buy chemicals and equipment, he started working. When he was 12 years old, he got a job selling newspapers on the train and traveled between Port Huron and Detroit, Michigan. While selling newspapers, he also runs a fruit and vegetable business. Whenever he has time, he goes to the library to read. In 1861, the Civil War broke out in the United States. Edison, who had just turned 14, bought an old printing press and took advantage of the convenience of the train to start a tabloid (weekly) - "The Herald" to convey the war situation and news along the way. The first issue of the magazine was printed on the train. He is responsible for reporter, editor, typesetting, proofreading, printing and distribution. The tabloid was popular, and he also gained talents, knowledge and experience from the intense work. He also earned a lot of money and was able to continue conducting chemical experiments. He used the money he earned to build a chemistry laboratory on a luggage cart. But unfortunately, when he was doing an experiment on a train, the train suddenly jolted and a piece of phosphorus fell on the wooden board, causing it to burn. The conductor came to extinguish the flames and gave him a slap in the face, deafening his ears. He was kicked off the train. Edison was only 15 years old at that time. (Another version of it: An unfortunate chemical fire caught Edison and he and his equipment were thrown out of the car. Another time, when Edison was trying to board a freight train, a conductor grabbed him by the ears. Help him get on the bus. This action caused Edison to become deaf for life)
The setback did not discourage Edison. He became obsessed with telegraphy. After repeated research, he invented an automatic machine in 1868. The power recorder was his first invention. Later he invented two new types of telegraph machines. In 1877, he invented the carbon telephone microphone, which made the original telephone sound clearer; he also invented the phonograph. People called him "The Magician".
In September 1878, when he was 31 years old, Edison began to study electric lights.
At that time, gas lamps had replaced kerosene lamps, but the flame flickered uncertainly and produced harmful gases when extinguished. Arc lamps had also been invented and used in public places, but they were not suitable because they made a hissing sound when burning and were too bright. For indoor use. At that time, many European and American scientists were already exploring the creation of a new stable luminous body.
Edison studied the arc lamp and announced that he could invent a satisfactory light, but he would need money. At that time, he already had 170 invention patents. His inventions brought great profits to capitalists, so a consortium was willing to provide him with funding. After thousands of failures, in April 1879 he improved the rod-shaped and tube-shaped lamps of his predecessors and made a glass sphere; on October 21, 1879, he fixed a carbon-treated cotton thread inside the glass bulb and pulled it out. After removing the air, sealing the mouth, and passing on current, it glowed, and a new lighting object appeared.
Between 1880 and 1882, Edison designed light sockets, push buttons, fuses, current cutters, electric meters, hanging lights, main line and branch line systems, and made the world's largest capacity electrical appliance at that time. generator, built the first power plant in New York, and pioneered the first civilian lighting system. He later invented the motion picture camera with George Eastman. Edison's three major inventions: the phonograph, the electric light and power system, and the movie camera, enriched and improved human civilization.
Edison died on October 18, 1931 (some say October 9) at the age of 84. However, no one has been able to break his record of holding 1,099 invention patents so far. People call him the King of Inventions.
In 1882, after incandescent lamps were fully recognized by the market, Edison's Electric Company began to build a power grid to transmit direct current, thus starting the "Electricity Age" in human history.
At that time, alternating current technology was beginning to emerge. The Westinghouse Company, which developed alternating current technology, wanted to cooperate with Edison through this technology. However, limited by his arrogance and his own investment interests in direct current, Edison was unwilling to recognize the value of alternating current.
The Westinghouse Company's proposal was rejected by Edison. In order to hold on to his achievements in direct current, Edison stubbornly stood on the opposite side of alternating current, using his influence to preach that "alternating current is inferior to direct current."
The Westinghouse Company, which was seeking its own way out, was once overwhelmed by the Edison Electric Company.
However, no one can reverse the law of social development. The new thing "alternating current" finally surfaced with unstoppable momentum and won the recognition of the world.
In the face of the hard facts, those who once worshiped and believed in Edison were surprised to find that Edison had done something wrong! Alternating current is indeed much stronger than direct current.
The employees and shareholders of the Edison Electric Company were ashamed of this, and they unanimously decided to remove the three words "Edison" from the company's name. In the subsequent development, this electrical company gradually evolved into General Electric Company (GE), one of the top international companies today.
Edison was brilliant for most of his life, but he stumbled on the issue of "direct current" and "alternating current". He killed the new "alternating current" thing and became an indelible stain in his life.
Cause of death: Uremia
Place: West Orange, USA; Buried in: West Orange, USA
On August 1, 1931, Edison died Feeling unwell, the doctor diagnosed him with multiple diseases at the same time: chronic nephritis, uremia and diabetes. The medical bulletin published in the New York Times on August 4 stated: "Mr. Edison is like a small boat sailing in a dangerous strait. He may be able to pass safely, or he may run aground on a rock." On October 13, Edison hit a "reef" ", and fell into a coma. Edison died on October 18, 1931, at the age of 84.