Edison's Greatest Inventions example essay topic

Thomas Alva Edison was born in Mila, Ohio in 1847. Seven years after he was born Edison and his family moved right here in Michigan. Here he attended school for only three months. This being his only form of public education. After these three months, his mom continued on teaching him things such as reading, writing, and math. Along with all of these subjects, she also read to him a lot and taught him some English literature, including things from Shakespeare, Dickens and others.

When he turned twelve he started a job at the Grand Trunk Railroad. Here he sold many things such as newspapers, candy, apples, and various other things. This was about the time he noticed his hearing was going downhill. Probably his hearing disability was cause by childhood diseases especially scarlet fever. In an entry he wrote in his diary he stated "I haven't heard a bird sing since I was 12 years old". Two years later, when he turned 15 he still worked at the Grand Trunk Railroad.

This is when he bought a small printing press. He installed this in a baggage car and began printing, editing, and selling a newspaper called the "Weekly Herald". He sold this now at the Grand Trunk Railroad. This same year he saved a three-year old from being hit by a boxcar. Little did Edison know his heroic moves helped him out for the future a lot. The little boy's father was a station master in Mount Clemens, Michigan.

This man offered to teach Edison all the different things and how to operate the telegraph. Of course, being interested in these such things, Edison accepted this offer. He learned for approximately five months how to receive and send dispatches. After learning all there is to know about the telegraph, Edison spent the next four years traveling very many places as a telegrapher. Through all of this he spent most of his earnings on electrical instruments and labs; he would take the instruments apart and put them back together. This was the very beginning of Thomas Alva Edison, soon to be known as one of the greatest inventors of all time.

At twenty-one, after "playing" around with many different things, he developed a telegraphic vote-recording machine. This was the first of his inventions to be patented. One year later, after excessive work on the telegraphic vote-recording machine he invented an improved stock ticker. This invention enabled people to receive printed stock market quotes and also prices on paper. Unlike the older stock tickers this one Edison invented was automatic. All though these were two great inventions, they did not bring much money to him at all.

The first thing to really bring him any money was another improvement on the stock ticker, for this invention he received $40,000, now this would be equivalent to about $530,000. He used this $40,000 to buy a business in New Jersey. This business was to help Edison sell his new improved stock ticker. He worked here for up to 18 hours a day.

It was here were Edison designed the "quadruplex". The "quadruplex" was a telegraph that could now send four messages at one time, instead of the one that it could send. He worked here for about 5 years. In 1876 Edison started another establishment. This one was in Menlo Park, New Jersey. There for called "Menlo Park".

Now this laboratory is known as the first laboratory dedicated to industrial research in the world. Starting this huge laboratory made a name for Edison, "Wizard of Menlo Park". The first major improvement on the telephone was done here by Edison. The Original phone was made by Alexander Graham Bell and only could carry speech for up to 3 miles. Edison's new phone went unlimited miles and connected New York City to Philadelphia. Also in Menlo Park he improved greatly the phonograph.

He worked on this invention while working on the telephone. This was said to be one of the most original inventions. He started off by putting tin foil on a cylinder that was etched by a needle and responded to sound waves. This tin foil was used to reproduce sounds. Edison demonstrated this in front of a big audience and recited the nursery rhyme "Mary had a little lamb" and than replayed it. He stunned everyone and the audience gave him a standing ovation.

One of Edison's greatest inventions also happened here at Menlo Park. This was the incandescent lamp. The incandescent lap would produce light by heating a wire and getting it so hot until it glowed. There were though already lights around, but these were arc lights, which were pretty inconvenient. They were very blinding if you looked right at them.

The incandescent light could now be used for 40 hours and even more for one time. This was not though the first incandescent electric light but it was the first practical one because of the small current it used. Edison did though realize that the word of this new thing was getting out very quickly and more and more people were finding out and it was reaching most all businesses and homes. Edison would soon be required to deliver the electricity to all homes and businesses that needed or wanted electricity. Of course he met everyone's need and did develop a system. This system included genera tiny currents by a central "dynamo", this is a device that turns energy into electricity.

Edison egested this in 1879 and included parallel circuits, safety fuses, insulation materials and also even copper wire networks (still use copper wire today). In 1884 Edison's first wife died of typhoid fever. Edison married her when he was only 16 and had a few kids with her. This pretty much ended Edison's return to Menlo Park.

Edison a couple years later though did get married a second time and moved to Glen mont. He of course established a new lab here. He remained here for forty-five years. It was here were Edison made many more inventions and did a lot more improving. One such included the battery. He spent nearly eight years and over one million dollars on this.

He did though also perfect this. It was used in many things some such include; electric cars and also even power submarines. To this day people still use batteries based on Edison's original plans. At eighty years-old Edison was still working very hard to improve things. The big thing now was rubber. The USA could not keep up with the demanding need for rubber because we had it imported.

Edison though figured out a way to crossbreed a goldenrod plant to make more rubber here. It worked. Sadly 10 days later Edison died. In Edison's life though he received so many honors from many parts of the world. When Edison died the united stated government even took in consideration to run off all electric current in the country for a minute or two as a tribute. But this could not happen without causing disastrous effects.

Edison is one of the greatest inventors of all times. Through his determination he worked on improving and / or inventing over 1000 inventions in his life. He worked on this until the day he died.