Thomas Edison KS2

Who was Thomas Edison?

Thomas Alva Edison was an American businessman and inventor.

He was born in 1847 in Ohio. From an early age, Edison suffered hearing difficulties. He did poorly in school, possibly due to his partial deafness, and his mother decided to homeschool him instead.

As a young man, he trained to be a telegraph operator. This involved using a telegraph key to send messages in Morse code through land lines or radio. Edison enjoyed finding improvements for the telegraphic equipment he was using.

By 1869, Edison quit his job as a telegraph operator to become a full-time inventor.

Thomas Alva Edison

What did Thomas Edison invent?

Throughout his lifetime, Edison applied for the patents of over 1,000 inventions! (A patent is a right of ownership.)

He worked with other scientists, built research laboratories and also developed his own companies to market and sell the inventions he made.

Of the thousands of products he invented, he is most famous for the following three:

• In 1877, the phonograph (a device that could record and play back sounds)
• In 1879, the lightbulb
• In 1891, the kinetograph (motion picture camera)

When did Thomas Edison invent the lightbulb?

In 1879, Edison succeeded in making the first practical, long-lasting electric lightbulb that could be easily manufactured and reasonably priced.

He demonstrated his lightbulb to the public in his laboratory on New Year's Eve, 1879. He showed how the light bulb created light when an electrical current was passed through the metal filament wire, heating it to a high temperature until it glowed, producing light.

In addition to this life-changing invention, Edison also invented the safety fuses and on/off light switches needed to make the lightbulb useable in the home.

An engraving of Edison's lightbulb

When did Thomas Edison die?

Edison died in 1931, at the age of 84, due to complications from diabetes.

Thomas Edison Quotes

• I have not failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that won't work.
• Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration
• Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.
• Nothing is impossible. We merely don't know how to do it yet.
• I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that. I wish I had more years left.