Wiktor Wise
Thomas Edison is often remembered as the inventor of the lightbulb, but this is not entirely accurate. While Edison did play a critical role in introducing the modern age of electricity, he built upon the work of English scientist William Gilbert, who established the science underlying the study of electricity and magnetism in the 17th century. Edison began his career in 1863, working with telegraphy, which at the time was the only source of electricity. He went on to develop the first commercial electric light and power system, which was first installed at New York City's Pearl Street Station in 1882. Edison's system consisted of a large central power plant with generators (called dynamos), voltage regulators, copper wires, switches, fixtures, and light bulbs. This system revolutionized the way electricity was distributed and used, paving the way for the modern age of electricity.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | 11 February 1847 |
| Date of death | 18 October 1931 |
| Career | Inventor and entrepreneur |
| Known for | Improving and patenting the lightbulb, the phonograph, the stock ticker, the first electricity-based broadcast system, the tasimeter, the Edison Universal Stock Printer, the electric pen, the mimeograph, the carbon-button transmitter for the telephone speaker and microphone, the first commercial electric light and power system, an experimental electric railroad, and key elements of motion-picture apparatus |
| Number of patents | 1,093 |
| Number of employees at the Edison Storage Battery Company | 450 |
| Year of patent for the nickel-iron battery | 1901 |
| Year of demonstration of a mature nickel-iron battery product | 1910 |
| Year of patent for the electric lamp with a carbon filament | 1879 |
| Year of demonstration of a working lamp | 1880 |
| Year Edison was at the throttle of the first electric MU train | 1930 |
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What You'll Learn
Edison's work as a telegraph operator
Thomas Edison's work with the telegraph began when he was just 15 years old. In 1862, he saved 3-year-old Jimmie MacKenzie from being hit by a train. Jimmie's father, J. U. MacKenzie, a station agent in Mount Clemens, Michigan, was so grateful that he trained Edison as a telegraph operator. Edison's first telegraph job was at Stratford Junction in Ontario, Canada, working for the Grand Trunk Railway. From 1863 to 1867, Edison worked as a "tramp telegrapher", moving through larger cities in the Midwest and using his telegraphing jobs as laboratories for his experiments. He was fired from several jobs for misbehaving or failing to send and receive messages properly. Edison's experiments often took priority over his telegraph work, and he was eventually dismissed from his job at the Associated Press bureau news wire in Louisville, Kentucky, when he spilled sulfuric acid while working with a lead-acid battery.
In 1868, Edison found himself in Boston, where he took a job at the Western Union office. He also frequented the Court Street factory of Charles Williams, Jr., a telegraph manufacturer, where he was able to buy equipment and exchange ideas with other experimenters. In October 1869, Edison, along with Franklin L. Pope and James Ashley, founded Pope, Edison, and Co., advertising themselves as electrical engineers and constructors of electrical devices. Edison received several patents for improvements to the telegraph and, in 1870, the partnership merged with the Gold and Stock Telegraph Co. That same year, he established the Newark Telegraph Works in New Jersey with William Unger to manufacture stock printers. He also formed the American Telegraph Works to work on developing an automatic telegraph.
In 1874, Edison began working on a multiplex telegraphic system for Western Union, ultimately developing the quadruplex telegraph, which could transmit two messages simultaneously in both directions. This was Edison's first major financial success, and he sold the patent to Western Union for $10,000 ($277,912 in 2024). With the funds from this sale, he established his first industrial research laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey, in 1876. This site became known as an "invention factory", with Edison and his team working on multiple inventions simultaneously. Edison's work in telegraphy, along with his studies in chemistry, provided the basis for his early innovations in electricity, including the stock ticker, the first electricity-based broadcast system.
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The 1876 Centennial Exposition
The exposition was the first great gathering of machine tool builders and assembly equipment vendors in the United States. It showcased mass-produced products, such as sewing machines, typewriters, and tools manufacturing interchangeable parts. It also featured new technologies, including Alexander Graham Bell's invention that allowed people to communicate over a distance ("My God, it talks!" exclaimed Emperor Don Pedro of Brazil when judging the show).
Edison, who had learned the basics of electricity through his work as a telegraph operator, debuted his telegraph and electric pen at the exposition. He also stopped by a booth set up by Mr. Stanley, who had invented a bulb that glowed when electricity passed through it. Mr. Stanley later worked with George Westinghouse and Nicola Tesla to create the modern AC system. Other notable inventors in attendance included George Eastman, Moses Farmer, Alexander Graham Bell, and Elmer Sperry.
The exposition had a profound impact on the United States and transformed its global image. It displayed the country's industrial power and future potential, boosting the cross-pollination of ideas and creating an incubator for inspiration. In the four years following the exposition, more than 10,000 US patents were issued for a wide variety of machines and devices.
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The first electric MU train
Thomas Edison is often credited with discovering electricity and inventing the lightbulb. However, it is more accurate to say that he built upon the work of Benjamin Franklin to create the first electric lightbulb, which he patented in 1879. Edison's work in the field of telegraphy and his studies in chemistry also helped him to understand electricity.
In September 1930, Edison was at the throttle of the first electric Multiple-Unit (MU) train to depart from Lackawanna Terminal in Hoboken, New Jersey. Despite his frail condition, he drove the train for the first mile through Hoboken Yard on its way to South Orange. This fleet of electric MU trains served commuters in North Jersey for 54 years until they were retired in 1984. A plaque commemorating Edison's inaugural ride can now be seen in the waiting room of the Lackawanna Terminal in Hoboken.
An electric MU train is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages that use electricity as their motive power. MUs do not require a separate locomotive as they have electric traction motors incorporated within one or several of the carriages. The first electric MUs were acquired in 1984 for the LRT Line 1 built by La Brugeoise et Nivelles in Belgium. However, the first electric MUs in the US were introduced in 1893 with the Liverpool Overhead Railway, which opened with two-car electric multiple units.
Electric MUs have several advantages over other types of trains. They have faster acceleration, higher total motor power output, and reduced wear on brake parts due to braking on multiple axles simultaneously. They are also quieter and more efficient than diesel-powered trains, making them ideal for commuter and suburban rail networks.
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The nickel-iron battery
Thomas Edison built on the work of Benjamin Franklin to create the light bulb, and his work in the field of telegraphy, along with his studies in chemistry, helped him understand electricity. Edison's work with electricity led him to develop the nickel-iron battery, which he patented in the US and Europe in 1901.
Edison founded the Edison Storage Battery Company, and by 1904, it had 450 people working there. The first rechargeable batteries they produced were for electric cars, but they were not without their defects, and customers complained about the product. Edison himself funded the company with his private money when its capital was exhausted. It was not until 1910 that Edison demonstrated a mature product: a very efficient and durable nickel-iron battery with lye as the electrolyte.
Edison considered the nickel-iron design to be "far superior to batteries using lead plates and acid" (lead-acid battery). His batteries had a significantly higher energy density than the lead-acid batteries in use at the time, and they could be charged in half the time. However, they performed poorly at low temperatures and were more expensive. Edison was disappointed that his battery was not adopted for starting internal combustion engines, and that electric vehicles went out of production only a few years after his battery was introduced.
Nickel-iron batteries are now being investigated for use in fuel cell cars and storage. These "battolysers" could be charged and discharged like conventional batteries and would produce hydrogen when fully charged. Nickel-iron batteries have a steel construction, and the nickel and iron plates never dissolve into the electrolyte; they always remain in their solid metal form.
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The tasimeter
Thomas Edison built on the work of Benjamin Franklin to create the lightbulb. However, it should be noted that Humphrey Davy demonstrated electric lighting in 1806 using a form of arc light, and Joseph Swan created the first incandescent lightbulb in 1860, 19 years before Edison.
Edison's work in the field of telegraphy, along with his studies in chemistry at the Cooper Union, allowed him to make his fortune with the stock ticker, the first electricity-based broadcast system.
Edison invented a device that could measure infrared radiation, which he named the "tasimeter". The tasimeter, or microtasimeter, is a highly sensitive device that can measure minute temperature changes. It was designed to measure the heat from the solar corona during the total solar eclipse of July 29, 1878. The device was not patented by Edison, as he believed it would only be of interest to scientists. He allowed companies in London and Philadelphia to manufacture tasimeters royalty-free.
The eclipse of 1878 was a significant event for Edison and other scientists, as it provided an opportunity to test new inventions and theories. Edison mounted his tasimeter to a telescope and conducted experiments to measure the energy levels of the sun's corona, amplified by the eclipse. This expedition was also an opportunity for Edison to compete with the director of Pittsburgh's Allegheny Observatory, Samuel P. Langley, who was working on a similar project. However, Edison's solo work during the expedition was not as successful as he had hoped, and he failed to "scoop" the competition.
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Frequently asked questions
Thomas Edison was an inventor. He is best known for his work on the lightbulb, but he also had 1,093 patents in a variety of fields, including electric light and power, telegraphy, telephony, and sound recording.
Edison started his career in 1863 in the telegraph industry, which was the primitive source of electricity at the time. He worked as a telegraph operator and invented the stock ticker, the first electricity-based broadcast system.
Edison is credited with introducing the modern age of electricity. Besides the incandescent lightbulb, he also invented the phonograph, the carbon-button transmitter for the telephone speaker and microphone, the first commercial electric light and power system, an experimental electric railroad, and key elements of motion-picture apparatus. He also founded the Edison Storage Battery Company and developed the first rechargeable batteries for electric cars.
Edison was opposed to the use of AC systems, believing that they were unworkable and dangerous due to high voltages. He preferred DC systems and even struck out personally against his rival George Westinghouse, who was installing AC systems.
