INVENTIONS

FOR THOMAS EDINSON

Let there be Light!

Thomas Alva Edison born in Ohio on Febr!ar" ## #$%& 'as one o( the most 'ell )no'n inventors o( all time* He s+ent a (e' o( his earl" "ears in (ormal s,hooling b!t he re,eived most o( his ed!,ation at home*

As Edison himsel( +!t it.M" mother 'as the ma)ing o( me* She !nderstood me/ she let me (ollo' m" bent*.

In the +eriod (rom #$&$ to #$$0 Edison and his asso,iates 'or)ed on at least three tho!sand di((erent theories to develo+ an e((i,ient in,andes,ent lam+* Edison1s lam+ 'o!ld ,onsist o( a (ilament ho!sed in a glass va,!!m b!lb* He had his o'n glass blo'ing shed 'here the (ragile b!lbs 'ere ,are(!ll" ,ra(ted (or his e2+eriments*

In order to im+rove the b!lb Edison needed all the +ersisten,e he had learned "ears be(ore in his basement laborator"* He tested tho!sands and tho!sands o( other materials to !se (or the (ilament*

He tested the ,arboni3ed (ilaments o( ever" +lant imaginable in,l!ding ba"'ood bo2'ood hi,)or" ,edar (la2 and bamboo* He even ,onta,ted biologists 'ho sent him +lant (ibers (rom +la,es in the tro+i,s* Edison a,)no'ledged that the 'or) 'as tedio!s and ver" demanding*

.4eni!s is one +er,ent ins+iration and ninet"5nine +er,ent +ers+iration*6 7atent n!mber 889 $:$ 'as given to Edison1s ele,tri, lam+*

In the earl" #$$0s Edison +lanned and s!+ervised the ,onstr!,tion o( the (irst ,ommer,ial ,entral ele,tri, +o'er station in Ne' ;or) <it"* In #$$% Edison began ,onstr!,tion o( a ne' laborator" in =est Orange Ne' >erse" 'here he lived and 'or)ed (or the rest o( his li(e* The =est Orange (a,ilit" is no' +art o( the Edison National Histori, Site r!n b" the National 7ar) Servi,e*

?e(ore he died in #:9# Edison +atented # 0:9 o( his inventions* Edison 'ill (orever be remembered (or his ,ontrib!tions to the in,andes,ent light b!lb* Edison1s 'or) 'ith light b!lbs 'as a s+ar) o( brillian,e on the timeline o( invention* At the ver" beginning o( his e2+eriments 'ith the in,andes,ent lam+ in #$&: he said.=e are stri)ing it big in the ele,tri, light better than m" vivid imagination (irst ,on,eived* =here this thing is going to sto+ Lord onl" )no's*.

Let there be Light!