THOMAS ALVA
EDISON
Thomas Alva
Edison was born in Milan, Ohio, in 1847, and grew up in Port Huron, Michigan.
He attended school for only three months. His mother taught him reading,
writing, and arithmetic.
In 1862,
Edison saved a boy from being run over by train. The boy’s father operated a
telegraph machine, which sent coded messages over wire. As thanks, the father
taught Edison how to operate the telegraph. Edison then made improvements to
the telegraph. He earned money from his inventions.
In the
1870s, many inventors were trying to make a practical light bulb. Edison wanted
people to have electric light in their homes. So he built the first electric
power plants. He tried hundreds of schemes. Finally he found a filament (thin
thread) made of carbon. An electric spark made the filament glow inside a glass
tube. Edison’s incandescent lamp was great success. It burned steadily for more
than 40 hours.
In 1876,
Edison started the first industrial research laboratory at Menlo Park, New
Jersey. By then, Edison was partially deaf. He worked very hard. He lived in
his laboratory and became rich from his inventions. He got married twice and
had six children. But he worked so much that he spent little time with his
family.
Edison’s
greatest inventions included an improved telephone, the phonograph, the
motion-picture camera, and electric storage batteries. He is the best
remembered for inventing a long-lasting light bulb. People liked Edison because
he was a down-to-earth man. His favourite saying was “ Genius is 1 percent
inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.”
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar