Thomas Alva Edison
Thomas Alva Edison was one of the greatest inventors. He was a
smart man. Thomas invented many things such as the light bulb and
phonograph. Without the light bulb we would still be using candles and
lanterns like they did many years ago. Although Thomas was deaf he
Thomas Alva Edison was born on February 11, 1847 in Milan,
Ohio. He had many family members. He had a father named Samuel
Odgen Edison and a mother named Nancy Elliott Edison. Thomas'
mother pulled him from school because Thomas' teacher called him a
"retard." Nancy Edison taught her son at home. Thomas has six siblings
and he was the youngest child in the Edison family. Thomas was
interested in many things as a child. At age twelve Thomas got a job at
the Grand Trunk Railroad. While working at Grand Trunk Railroad
Thomas was a typesetter, press operator, editor, and publisher of his very
own newspaper called the "Herald." Thomas got his news for his
newspaper from telegraphers at other train stations. Thomas liked many
things, but mathematics was not one of them. He enjoyed reading books
about science and philosophy. His favorite book ever was Isaac
Newtown's Principia Mathematica. Thomas was interested in inventing
the light bulb. Thomas was a scientist as a kid. He like to test many
things. When he was young he built a laboratory in the
family's basement. Thomas did experiments he found in science books
and got jars and chemicals for experiments from local shopkeepers.
Thomas also used a spare train car for another laboratory.
Thomas studied books on mechanics, manufacturing, and
chemistry at the public library. He spent a long time studying
Newtown's Principles. He also read lots of books such as Gibbon's
Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Hume's History of England,
...