Thomas Edison Biography
Thomas Edison
I chose to research American inventor Thomas Alva Edison. Born on February 11, 1847 to middle-class parents in Milan, Ohio, Thomas Edison was labeled as a unique and remarkable individual with a curious passion for knowledge even as a child. Edison was taken out of school at age seven when his teacher had run out of patience with the child’s relentless questioning, constant need for attention, and what would now most likely be considered ADHD. His beloved mother, Nancy, began teaching Tom the “three R’s and the Bible”, and was convinced his unusual behavior was largely because of his extraordinary intelligence (Guthridge 23). After his parents introduced him to the multiple resources of their local library, Thomas began to realize that he greatly preferred teaching himself all there was to learn rather than receive instruction from others. Thomas Edison’s “unique, mental, and physical stamina” are what drove him to becoming “a successful inventor in the 19th century” (Beals). Thomas Edison’s road to success was not a straight, easy shot in any way. But he started his business ventures at a young age. At age twelve, Thomas “was selling newspapers, snacks and candy to people at the local railroad” station, in addition to running a small business of selling produce (Beals). Two years later, he published his very own paper and quickly gained over 300 subscribers. When Abraham Lincoln was running for President, Edison, an avid supporter, gained a little bit of fame from publishing campaign articles and advertising photographs of the candidate. Tom’s publishing projects began providing him with revenue in which he used to set up a chemical lab in his home basement, which his mother later made him shut down in fear of blowing up the house. Not long after, Edison was in the right place at the right time. While working at the railroad station, Edison heroically rescued the local stationmaster’s son who was walking in front of an oncoming train. As a
I chose to research American inventor Thomas Alva Edison. Born on February 11, 1847 to middle-class parents in Milan, Ohio, Thomas Edison was labeled as a unique and remarkable individual with a curious passion for knowledge even as a child. Edison was taken out of school at age seven when his teacher had run out of patience with the child’s relentless questioning, constant need for attention, and what would now most likely be considered ADHD. His beloved mother, Nancy, began teaching Tom the “three R’s and the Bible”, and was convinced his unusual behavior was largely because of his extraordinary intelligence (Guthridge 23). After his parents introduced him to the multiple resources of their local library, Thomas began to realize that he greatly preferred teaching himself all there was to learn rather than receive instruction from others. Thomas Edison’s “unique, mental, and physical stamina” are what drove him to becoming “a successful inventor in the 19th century” (Beals). Thomas Edison’s road to success was not a straight, easy shot in any way. But he started his business ventures at a young age. At age twelve, Thomas “was selling newspapers, snacks and candy to people at the local railroad” station, in addition to running a small business of selling produce (Beals). Two years later, he published his very own paper and quickly gained over 300 subscribers. When Abraham Lincoln was running for President, Edison, an avid supporter, gained a little bit of fame from publishing campaign articles and advertising photographs of the candidate. Tom’s publishing projects began providing him with revenue in which he used to set up a chemical lab in his home basement, which his mother later made him shut down in fear of blowing up the house. Not long after, Edison was in the right place at the right time. While working at the railroad station, Edison heroically rescued the local stationmaster’s son who was walking in front of an oncoming train. As a
Cited: Baldwin, Neil. Edison: Inventing the Century. University of Chicago Press, 2001 Beals, Gerald. Thomas Edison. Biography. June, 1999. http://www.thomasedison.com/biography.html Bellis, Mary. “The Inventions of Thomas Edison.” “The Life of Thomas Edison.” http://inventors.about.com/od/estartinventors/a/Thomas_Edison.htm Guthridge, Sue. Thomas Edison: Young Inventor. Aladdin Publishing. October 1986 Israel, Paul. Edison: A life of Invention. Wiley Publishing, September 1998 “The Thomas Edison Papers.” March 2010. Rutgers University. http://edison.rutgers.edu/biogrphy.htm