Thomas Edison Hero Essay

Merriam-Webster defines hero as a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities, a person who is greatly admired, and the chief male character in a story, play , or movie. I define hero as someone to look up to and someone that you think highly of. Thomas Edison was a great man. He invented the lightbulb and imagined many things that are honorable. His inventions are too many to mention in the space and time allowed. His contribution to science has forever changed the subject. His never give up attitude is best described when he said this about himself “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Born on February 11, 1847, in Milan, Ohio, Thomas Edison rose from humble beginnings to work as an inventor of major technology. Edison was the youngest of seven children. His mother, who was by trade a teacher, home schooled him and was responsible for his education. He overcame many setbacks including deafness that was caused by Scarlet
fever. Another interesting fact is that he sold newspapers and was even a telegraph operator in his early days. Edison was truly a pioneer in the world of science. Everyone associates his name with the Electric Company, the Edison Electric Light Company, to be specific. Electricity changed the world as it was known. It is easy for us to take things like this for granted because we have never been without it aside from one very bad ice storm. Being without power is definitely not a fun experience. Added to this great accomplishment are many other things such as the Motion Picture Camera, Alkaline storage batteries, and the Telegraph system. Edison’s use of tests and measures were definitely foreshadowing of the Scientific Method of forming a theory and testing it then recording the results. One of the things he was best known for , besides his scientific genius, was his work ethic.
He never viewed not succeeding as failure. Known as the “Wizard of Menlo Park” for all the inventions and discoveries he made there, Edison was first a scientist, next an inventor, and lastly an innovator. His life was decorated with many awards and medals of achievement. If a hero is someone you admire and look up to then Thomas Edison definitely qualifies. He completely changed not just his country, but the world with his discoveries and inventions. Thomas Edison died on October 18, 1931, in West Orange, New Jersey. He was 84 years old and had lived several lifetimes in his years. He witnessed and discovered things beyond most people’s wildest dreams. He is undoubtedly a hero and was honored in his death by people turning off their electricity in his memory. He said “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave
up.”