About
Thomas Edison (1847–1931) is America's most prolific inventor — holding 1,093 US patents, including the phonograph, practical incandescent light bulb, motion picture camera, and alkaline battery. More than individual inventions, his greatest creation was the industrial research laboratory — Menlo Park (1876) and later West Orange — where teams of researchers worked systematically on assigned problems.
Edison's 'War of Currents' with Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse over AC vs. DC electricity is one of technology history's great dramas — Edison campaigned vigorously for DC, even electrocuting animals publicly to demonstrate AC's danger. He lost; AC became the standard. His aphorism 'genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration' reflects his philosophy.
# Top 10 Thomas Edison facts
- 1Edison held 1,093 US patents — still a record for individual inventors
- 2He spent 14 months testing 6,000 plant materials to find the right filament for his light bulb
- 3Edison hired Tesla briefly — and famously failed to pay him a promised $50,000 bonus, leading to Tesla's resignation
Fascinating Facts
- ◆Edison held 1,093 US patents — still a record for individual inventors
- ◆He spent 14 months testing 6,000 plant materials to find the right filament for his light bulb
- ◆Edison hired Tesla briefly — and famously failed to pay him a promised $50,000 bonus, leading to Tesla's resignation
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