What Were Thomas Edison Major Accomplishments

Incandescent light, batteries, electrical outlets, telephones, and movies; what would life be like without them? Thanks to one man, Thomas Edison, we can have all of these luxuries, and many, many more. Thomas Edison lived from, 1847 to 1931, and in those years, he forever changed the world. Edison was quoted saying, “My desire, is to do everything within my power to further free the people from drudgery, and create the largest possible measure of happiness, and prosperity” (Edison qtd. In Venable 9). Edison created the lightbulb, the phonograph, the motion picture, and countless other modern commodities (Edison qtd. in “A Brief Biography of Thomas Edison”,2). Edison was issued 1100 patents, far exceeding the number of any other person ( Venable,
Edison was continually finishing projects, then quickly moving on to his next idea. In order to do all this, he needed an environment in which he could think freely (Pretzer 4). He found it in a town called Menlo Park where he created his own laboratory (“Thomas Edison and Menlo Park” 3). In the article, “Thomas Edison and Menlo Park, the author states, “Thomas Edison created some of the world’s most important and some of his greatest inventions at Menlo Park. While headquartered there, he applied for about four-hundred patents on inventions big and small.” He began to work in his new laboratory on what would be he next big breakthrough, the phonograph (“Thomas Edison and Menlo Park” 3). The phonograph was the first machine of its kind, and it brought Edison much praise and popularity (“A Brief Biography of Thomas Edison” 2). Edison believed, “Of all the writer’s inventions, none has commanded such profound and ernest attention throughout the civilized world as has the phonograph” (Edison 1). But Edison did not linger on this success yet again. His tireless brian kept him inventing (Venable 4). Edison soon began his work on the light bulb. After many failed attempts, he finally introduced a working light bulb. An appliance that is used today in almost every building worldwide. Edison did not stop at just the light bulb, he also created a power plant that could bring electricity to people's homes (“A Brief Biography of Thomas Edison” 2). Edison then worked to put his new invention to use. He created an underground electrical system that was used to power lampposts on the streets (“Thomas Edison and Menlo Park” 3). Thomas Edison, again, did not linger on his success. He continued to create, and after many long days of work, he gave the world yet another gift: he created the motion picture (Venable 7). Edison’s motion picture brought him much approbation. As Edison continued to