Chinese name: Edison. Full name: Thomas Alva Edison
English name: Thomas Alva Edison
Edison (1847～1931) is a world-famous American electrician and inventor, known as " The King of Inventions.” In addition to his inventions and contributions in the phonograph, electric light, telegraph, and movies, he also had many famous creations and insights in the fields of mining, construction, and chemical industry. Edison made about 2,000 inventions during his lifetime, making 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.
Edit this section of life
Edison was born on February 11, 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, traveling 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 weekly 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 left ear. He was kicked off the train. Edison was only 16 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 into the car. This action caused Edison to become permanently deaf.
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Reference: When little Edison was 12 years old, he started selling newspapers on the train. He took the early morning train to Detroit every day, and then took the evening train back to Port Huron at 9 o'clock in the evening. The reason why the young Edison went to train to sell newspapers was that, firstly, he felt bored with school studies, and secondly, selling newspapers on trains could save a fund for research and experiments at his own disposal, and he could also go to Detroit during his afternoon break. The city library has a large selection of scientific books. 12-year-old Edison built his own little laboratory in a corner of the luggage compartment with the help of the train conductor. It wasn't until a fire broke out during an experiment that Edison's early scientific experiments in the train laboratory ended.
The setback did not discourage Edison. He became obsessed with telegraphy again. After repeated research, he invented an automatic power recorder in 1868, which 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 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.
Life·Invention·Scientific Journey Edison 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. The places visited 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 obtained 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 (Mary Stilwell), 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. Here he built the first "invention factory", which "marked the beginning of collective research." In 1877, Edison improved the telephone invented by Bell earlier and put it into practical use. He also invented one of his pet projects - the phonograph. The telephone and the telegraph "were a revolution that expanded human sensory functions"; the phonograph was one of the three great inventions that changed people's lives. "From the perspective of his inventive imagination, this was his most significant inventive achievement." By this time, he was known as "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 way, this invention was the pinnacle achievement of Edison's life. He then created a power supply system that allowed distant lamps to distribute power from a central power station, a major technological achievement.
His first purely scientific discovery appeared in 1883. While experimenting with electric lamps, he observed what he called the Edison effect: a charge inside a lit bulb traveling from a hot filament through space to a cold plate. Edison patented his discovery in 1884 but did not pursue further research. Other scientists used the Edison effect to develop the electronics industry, especially radio and television.
Edison also attempted to do for the eyes what the phonograph had done for the ears, and the movie camera was born here. Using a strip of George Eastman's newly invented celluloid film, he took a series of photographs and projected them onto a screen in rapid succession, creating the illusion of movement. He first experimented with film in the laboratory in 1889 and applied for a patent in 1891. In 1903, his company produced its first feature film, "The Train Robbery." Edison did much to organize and standardize the motion picture industry.
After Edison moved his laboratory to West Orange in 1887, he founded many commercial companies to manufacture and market his many inventions; these companies later merged into Edison General Electric Company, later known as General Electric Company. Thereafter, his interests turned to fluoroscopy, ore crushers, magnetic separation of iron, batteries and railway signaling devices.
During World War I, he developed torpedo mechanisms, flamethrowers, and underwater periscopes.
On October 21, 1929, on the 50th anniversary of the invention of the electric light, people held a grand celebration for Edison. Albert Einstein of Germany (German Federal Republic of Germany) Famous scientists such as France's Marie Curie (born in Poland) all congratulated him. Unfortunately, at this celebration, when Edison was giving a speech, he suddenly fainted due to excessive excitement. From then on, his health deteriorated. On October 18, 1931, this scientist who had made great contributions to mankind died of illness at the age of 84.
Edison’s education level was extremely low, but his contribution to mankind was so huge. What is the “secret” here? In addition to having a curious heart and an instinct for personal experimentation, he also has infinite energy and determination to work hard that are beyond ordinary people. When someone called Edison a "genius", he explained: "Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration." In his "invention factory", he organized people from many different professions There are more than 100 scientists, engineers, technicians, and workers inside. Many of Edison's major inventions relied on the strength of this collective to achieve success. His achievements are mainly due to his hard work, creative talents and collective strength. In addition, his wife also played a very important role.
Edison only attended elementary school for three months in his life. His knowledge was obtained through his mother's teaching and self-study. His success should also be attributed to his mother's understanding and patient teachings from an early age. Edison, who was originally considered an imbecile, became a world-famous "invention king" when he grew up.
Someone has made statistics: Edison's inventions in his lifetime were officially registered in the patent office, with about 1,300 inventions. 1881 was his record year for inventions. This year, he applied for registration of 141 inventions, with an average of one new invention every three days.
The life of the great inventor Edison tells us: great achievements come from arduous labor.
Edison will not be forgotten as time goes by. His life was glorious and everything he did was for mankind. Edison was determined to build electric lights when he was a child. He used his wisdom to save his mother while she was undergoing surgery.
New life in West Orange
Starting from the winter of 1881, Edison spent more and more time living in New York, while the time he spent in Menlo Park became shorter and shorter. His wife and children all live in New York, and Menlo Park, his hometown, has become a place specially designed for summer escape. The Edison family spent several summers in Menlo Park.
In 1884, Edison was 37 years old. This year was a sad year for Edison. In the summer of 1884, Mary Edison contracted typhoid fever here, a dangerous disease. At first I thought she just had a cold and would be fine after taking some medicine. Therefore, Edison, who was fighting in New York, did not visit her. Mary's sister Alice and the doctors tried their best to take care of her every day and stayed by her bedside.
Soon, his wife's condition deteriorated, and Edison did not go to the institute for several days. Edison was laughed at as a "work bug". It was rare for him to come to the institute, so his colleagues were very worried. Mrs. Edison's hopes of recovery were dashed, and in the early morning of August 9, 1884, Mary Edison died. After the funeral ceremony was held in the residence, the coffin was transported to a small station and taken by train to her childhood hometown of New York. The news of her death was issued on August 16: The wife of the famous inventor Edison died suddenly on Saturday, the 9th of this month, in Menlo Park, New Jersey. A funeral was held on the afternoon of the 12th, with more than 400 guests present. Among them were Edison, the manager of the Edison Company, and Johnson, the deputy manager, Laurel, DeNavarro and Roosevelt. There are a lot of flowers sent to pay homage to guests. She is buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, New York.
After Mrs. Edison passed away, she left him three young children, 11-year-old Dot, 8-year-old Thomas Alva Jr. and 6-year-old William Rice. L． The death of his wife made him feel lonely as never before. Yet he had to keep working. He cannot stop working because of this. He rented his house to William and Alice Holzer and sent the children to New York to be cared for by his grandmother Stillwell.
Menlo Park could give the inventor nothing but sad memories, so he moved out all the mechanical parts, medicines, instruments, etc. and abandoned it. A few years later, the old house burned down due to a lightning strike, and the old electric light factory next to the Pennsylvania Railroad also burned down. After Edison moved out, farmers moved in.
The large room above the laboratory was rented out for dance parties. L.M. Hussey used it as the headquarters for his wind band and built a stage at the back. The downstairs floor was once used as a cattle shed. The ancient building gradually fell apart, its timbers were removed to build nearby houses, and finally it collapsed.
The east end of the brick machine shop was converted into a storage room for the Menlo Park Fire Department to store debris. The other end also served as a bullpen for a time. There was a farmer named Thomas J. McConnell who lived in that glass house and raised many pigs on the pasture. Later, a family named Willcox moved into the house that was the former office and raised many chickens in the house.
In the years between 1884 and 1885, Edison's life was lonely and monotonous. When Mary was alive, she did not have many demands on Tom. She loved him and understood the importance of his career. Edison did not have so much time for family life, but Mary was always waiting for him. Edison was now very lonely and monotonous, and he might have apologized to her for not spending a lot of time with her.
Edison began experiments to reform the arc lamp in 1877, proposing to divide the current and convert the arc lamp into a white light lamp. This test needs to be done satisfactorily. It is necessary to find a substance that can burn to white heat to make a filament. This filament must withstand burning at a temperature of 2,000 degrees for more than 1,000 hours. At the same time, it should be simple to use, able to withstand the bumps and bumps of daily use, and the price should be low. The turning on and off of one lamp should not affect the turning on and off of any other lamp, and the relative independence of each lamp should be maintained. In order to choose this kind of lamp. This was a very bold idea at the time and required great efforts to explore and test. As for the material used for filament, Edison first experimented with carbonized substances. After failure, he experimented with metal platinum and iridium high-melting point alloys for filament. He also conducted 1,600 different experiments with high-quality ore and ore seedlings. The results All failed. But by this time he and his assistants had made great progress and knew that the incandescent filament must be sealed in a highly vacuumed glass ball to prevent it from melting. In this way, his experiments returned to carbon filaments. He used it day and night until the first half of 1880, but Edison's incandescent lamp experiment still had no results. One day, he tore a piece of bamboo silk tied around a banana fan in the laboratory into thin filaments, and devoted all his energy to carbonization. There were more than 6,000 carbonization experiments on plants alone. He has more than 200 experimental notebooks, totaling more than 40,000 pages, which took three years to complete. He works eighteen or nineteen hours a day. At three or four o'clock every morning, he would sleep under the experimental table with two or three books on his head. Sometimes he slept on the stool three or four times a day, for just half an hour each time.
By the first half of 1880, Edison's incandescent lamp experiment still had no results, and even his assistants were discouraged. One day, he tore a piece of bamboo silk tied around a banana fan in the laboratory into thin filaments, and then carbonized it to make a filament. The result this time was better than all the previous experiments. This was Edison's earliest experiment. The invention of the incandescent electric lamp - the bamboo filament electric lamp.
This bamboo filament electric lamp continued for many years. It was not replaced until 1908 when tungsten filament was invented. The alkaline storage battery that Edison began to develop after this was very difficult, and his research spirit was even more amazing. This kind of battery is used to provide motive power. He and a selected assistant worked painstakingly for nearly ten years and experienced many hardships and failures. One moment he thought he had reached his destination, but the next moment he knew he was wrong. But Edison never wavered and started over. After about 50,000 tests and more than 150 test notes, the goal was achieved.
Reference: Edison was studious, good at thinking, and hard-working throughout his life. At the age of 75, he still went to the laboratory to sign in on time every day. He worked almost ten hours a day for decades, and worked in the laboratory at night. Reading in the study for 3 to 5 hours, if calculated based on the activity time of an ordinary person's life, his life has been extended exponentially. Therefore, on Edison's 79th birthday, he proudly said to people, I am already 135 years old. He lived to the age of 84 and made as many as 1,100 inventions in his life. His greatest contribution was the invention of the phonograph and the automatic telegraph, and his experiments and improvements in incandescent lamps and telephones. Edison began researching electric lamps in his early 20s. Over a period of more than 10 years, he successively selected bamboo cotton, graphite, tantalum... and thousands of different substances as filament materials for experiments. He often stayed up all night. On one occasion, he and his assistants worked continuously. 5 days and nights. In 1879, Edison used carbon filament as an incandescent filament and ignited it for 40 hours. Because the surface of carbon wire is porous and brittle, its strength is very low. Soon replaced by tungsten wire.
Edit this growth story
(1) Childhood
Edison was born at three o'clock in the morning on a snowy day on February 11, 1847 , his father also took him to the street to show off to others, and everyone called him Al. When he was a child, Edison loved to ask questions. He often asked strange questions that made people feel annoyed, whether it was his family or pedestrians on the road. If he was dissatisfied with the adult's answer to the person he asked questions, he would personally experiment. For example, once Al saw the mother goose incubating eggs in the goose house, and he asked his mother why the mother goose always sat there all day long. Where? His mother told him that the goose was incubating eggs, and Al thought that if the goose could do it, so could I. A few days later, his parents found that Al had been squatting in the lumber room, not knowing what he was doing. When the family found out that Al was incubating eggs, Everyone burst into laughter when the eggs were cooked.
When Al was eight years old, he went to elementary school, but he dropped out of school after only three months of classes. When Al was in class, his mother was often called to school to talk to the teacher. This was because Al often asked some questions that the teacher thought were strange. The teacher thought he was a retarded child, so his mother decided to teach Al herself and determined to teach Al into a great genius. In this way, Al began his self-study course. Al was taught very well by his mother. Later, Al also got permission to set up a laboratory in the basement. In order to prevent others from tampering with his experimental products, Al also came up with a clever idea, which was to put stickers on the bottles of each experimental product. Label poison.
One morning when he was twelve years old, Al suddenly said to his mother, "Mom, I want to go sell newspapers, okay?" After hearing this, his mother was shocked and his father was also very angry. But after Al's repeated requests, his parents finally agreed. He happily ran to the railway company and got permission to sell newspapers on the train. It was a hundred kilometers from the freewheel port to Detroit. After Al worked as a newspaper boy on the bus for several months, he opened two stores in Detroit, one of which sold magazines and the other sold vegetables, fruits, and cream. Waiting for a while, he also hired two teenagers to help look after the store, and agreed to share the dividends with them. Soon the railway line added another train, and Al sent a newsboy to sell with the train. In this way, a twelve-year-old newsboy already knew what was going on. I feel like I have become a young capitalist.
(2) Wandering Years
Another time Edison lost his job because he used his invention in the wrong place - at that time he was working as a telegraph operator on the night shift at the Railway Bureau. It is stipulated that after nine o'clock in the evening, in order to prevent the staff from being lazy and sleeping, the operator must send a signal to the vehicle service center every hour. So Edison made his own automatic timing transmitter, which made Edison the most punctual and reliable telegraph operator in the world. However, during a check, the train director discovered Edison who was sleeping and this ingenious machine. Although the director admired his talent, the railway bureau needed an honest and peaceful person, not a Inventor, so Edison was fired again!
Before the age of 21, Edison could be said to have frequently changed jobs, traveling around some telecommunications and telegraph companies until he came to New York and relied on his understanding of machinery. , and excellent maintenance skills, slowly gained a reputation, and established its own engineering company, specializing in manufacturing and improving some business machines, such as gold market monitors, stock market monitors, gold price printing presses and other commercial machines. At the same time, it also developed, Manufactures various scientific instruments.
(3) The genius of Monroe Gardens
In 1876, Edison established his Experimental Invention Center in "Montreal Garden" in southern New York, which is what we generally call it. "Edison's Invention Factory". It has sophisticated equipment and instruments, as well as a group of talented experts of all kinds. From 1876 to 1887, this group of scientists, headed by Edison, conducted systematic, complex, and diverse scientific research and development work here. If Edison's inventions in Monroe Gardens were listed in a table, I'm afraid the table would extend from the table to the floor. Many of the items in it are unfamiliar and difficult for us to understand, but there are also many that are closely related to our lives.
(4) Young inventors
Edison once saved the child of the webmaster of Marvin Clermont Station. In order to repay Edison, the webmaster taught Edison telegraph technology and made him a telegrapher. Technician, Edison soon went to the telegraph office to work as a telegraph operator. Because he worked at night, he could use his time during the day to do experiments. The telegraph office stipulated that a letter should be sent to the other side every hour. In order to sleep, he invented He bought a machine that could automatically send messages to help him send letters, but was eventually discovered and dismissed. In this way, Edison often lost his job for some reason and became a wandering telecommunications technician, so his life was very unstable. One day He heard the good news that South America was recruiting telecommunications technicians. But when they were going to South America, an old uncle told them that it was not a good place, so the idea of ??going to South America disappeared, so he Returning to his hometown of Shuilun Port, Edison also worked hard to study, do experiments, research and work during this period of wandering, which laid a good foundation for his future inventions.
While Edison was home, his good friend Adams helped him find a job as a telecommunications technician in Boston, where Edison invented the automatic voting machine and was the first Edison to obtain a patent. His invention, the automatic voting machine is a machine with green and red buttons. As long as you press the green button, it means "right", and the red button means "wrong". After the machine was completed, he ran to Washington to experiment with it. Tesla thought that if he could throw away the commutator, this problem would be solved.
Tesla told his teacher his idea. Since this motor was invented by the world-famous inventor Edison, Tesla's teacher said to Tesla without hesitation that this was simply impossible. If this could be solved, Edison should have thought of it long ago. However, newborn calves are not afraid of tigers, and Tesla did not stop thinking about this issue. After his father's death in 1879, Tesla interrupted his studies and came to work for an electrical appliance company in Budapest, Hungary.
One night, Tesla suddenly got inspiration - the fatal weakness of Edison's motor is that it uses the rotation of the coil to cut the magnetic lines. If the magnetic field and the coil are exchanged, so that the coil is fixed and the magnetic field rotates, the commutation can be discarded. Have you installed it?
In 1884, Tesla came to New York, USA, on the recommendation of others, and found Edison, whom he admired but was not superstitious. For commercial purposes, Edison did not support Tesla's development of new motors. In order to realize his dream, Tesla continued to improve the motor he designed while working part-time, and suffered hardships that others could hardly imagine. After four years of research and numerous failures, Tesla finally successfully developed the world's first new type of motor - a rotating magnetic pole motor. Tesla succeeded. He was not satisfied with the flowers and applause. From 1888 to 1890, he successfully developed transformers and power transmission and distribution systems that matched AC motors, and realized the mechanization of the power transmission and distribution system.
Tesla made great contributions to mankind. His success stems not only from his ability and curiosity to observe things, but also from his ability to not be superstitious about authority and not afraid of difficulties and obstacles on the road ahead. Scientific spirit. In order to commemorate him, people used his name as the unit of magnetic induction intensity (describing the strength of the magnetic field).
Edison’s outstanding achievements in his life were not a fluke, but the result of his perseverance, courage to try and dare to innovate. Due to his poor family, Edison only received three months of primary school education and began working on the train at the age of twelve. Despite this, he still worked hard and studied hard on his own. He had already developed a strong interest in natural sciences as a boy. Not only did he master a wealth of knowledge about electricity, chemistry, etc., he also liked to conduct "small experiments" in the car and at home. His career as an inventor began in 1863 when he worked as a waiter for a railroad company. As his inventions were born one after another, his name became familiar and his life gradually became richer