Trystan Casey
Thomas Edison is one of the most famous inventors in American history, known for his work on the phonograph, the lightbulb, and motion pictures, among other inventions. Edison's work played a significant role in bringing electricity into homes and offices, and he founded the Edison Electric Light Company to further his work in this field. While he did not invent electricity itself, he is credited with finding a way to implement electric lighting on a grand scale. This article will explore the history of Thomas Edison's work in electricity and his founding of the Edison Electric Light Company.
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What You'll Learn
Thomas Edison's electric light bulb invention
Thomas Edison is widely known for his invention of the incandescent electric light bulb. However, it is important to note that he did not invent electricity nor create the first electric lighting. In fact, some outdoor areas in the early 1870s used a type of electric lighting known as arc lighting, but it was too bright for indoor use and had issues with current flow.
Edison's unique approach to innovation was to seek solutions that needed modification rather than problems that needed solutions. In his quest for the right filament, he employed his standard method of trial and error. He initially experimented with platinum, but it proved unsuccessful and expensive. He then reverted to carbon, a readily available material at the Menlo Park lab due to its use in manufacturing telephone transmitters.
Edison's assistant, Charles Batchelor, played a crucial role in these experiments by carbonizing various substances, including celluloid, cedar, coconut hair, fishing line, and cotton soaked in boiling tar. Finally, on October 22, 1879, Edison and his team witnessed the success of their endeavours as a light bulb with carbonized cotton thread burned for approximately 13½ hours. This marked the invention of a working electric light bulb.
Despite this achievement, Edison remained unconvinced that carbonized cotton thread was the optimal material. He continued his pursuit for improvement, eventually founding the Edison Storage Battery Company and producing rechargeable batteries for electric cars. However, these early batteries encountered numerous defects, drawing complaints from customers. It wasn't until 1910 that Edison presented a mature product—a highly efficient and durable nickel-iron battery.
Edison's journey towards the invention of the electric light bulb was marked by perseverance, collaboration, and a willingness to invest whatever was necessary to make his ideas work. His reputation and the support of wealthy businessmen, who formed the Edison Electric Light Company, provided him with financial backing for his endeavours. Edison's work not only revolutionized lighting but also played a pivotal role in introducing the modern age of electricity.
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The Edison Electric Light Company
Thomas Edison did not invent electricity or create the first electric lighting. However, he did pioneer the introduction of electric lighting in homes and offices on a grand scale.
In 1878, Edison joined a scientific expedition to Wyoming to watch a total eclipse of the Sun and use his newly invented tasimeter to measure the heat from the Sun's corona. During the journey, Edison was inspired by conversations with fellow scientists, and he decided to invent a safe, inexpensive electric light to replace the dirty, dangerous kerosene and gas lamps that were used in most homes and offices.
On October 15, 1878, Edison's Edison Electric Light Company began operations. It was a patent-holding corporate entity backed by J. P. Morgan and the Vanderbilt family, which funded Edison's experiments with the incandescent bulb and electric lighting. Edison's company was one of many business entities founded by the inventor, who was able to secure financial support for his projects thanks to his reputation.
Edison's search for the right filament for the lightbulb involved a standard method of trial and error. He first experimented with platinum, but this proved unsuccessful and expensive. He then returned to carbon, a substance he was more familiar with, as it was used to make telephone transmitters. Edison's assistant, Charles Batchelor, carbonized many substances, including celluloid, cedar, coconut hair, fishing line, and cotton soaked in boiling tar. Eventually, he tried burning simple cotton thread, and on October 22, 1879, Edison and his assistants watched as a bulb with the carbonized thread burned for about 13 and a half hours. They had invented a working electric lightbulb.
In 1883, the Edison Electric Light Company merged with the Swan United Electric Light Company to become the Edison and Swan Electric Light Company. The merger was negotiated to avoid costly litigation, as Swan had sued Edison in the UK for patent infringement, and Edison had countersued, claiming infringement of his 1879 US patent. The glass bulbs sold in Britain were designed by Swan, while the filaments were Edison's.
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The limitations of Edison's DC plants
Thomas Edison did not invent electricity or create the first electric lighting. However, he did pioneer a way to put electric lighting in homes and offices on a grand scale. In 1878, he joined a scientific expedition to Wyoming, where he became inspired by talks with fellow scientists. He then set out to invent a safe, inexpensive electric light that would replace the dirty, dangerous kerosene and gas lamps that lit most homes and offices.
Edison's DC plants had several limitations. Firstly, they could not deliver electricity to customers beyond a mile from the plant, resulting in a patchwork of unsupplied customers between plants. This left small cities and rural areas without access to electrical service, creating a gap in the market that AC companies were quick to fill.
Another drawback was the relatively low voltage of the DC system, which ran at 110 volts from generation to its final destination, giving it a short transmission range. In contrast, AC systems could utilise transformers to "step up" the voltage to higher transmission voltages and then drop it down to a lower voltage for business and residential use. This allowed AC systems to supply electricity to a much larger area, with circuits up to 7 miles long.
The limitations of Edison's DC system became evident in the "War of the Currents" in the late 19th century, when George Westinghouse championed the more sophisticated alternating-current (AC) approach devised by Nikola Tesla. Despite Edison's anti-AC stance, Westinghouse's AC system ultimately won out due to its ability to transmit power over long distances and its scalability with very large generating plants.
While some cities, such as central Helsinki and Stockholm, continued to use DC well into the 20th century, Edison's DC system gradually gave way to the more efficient and flexible AC distribution system.
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The rivalry between Edison and Westinghouse
Thomas Edison did not invent electricity or create the first electric lighting. However, he did pioneer the use of electric lighting in homes and offices on a grand scale. In 1878, Edison joined a scientific expedition to Wyoming, where he was inspired by talks with fellow scientists to invent a safe, inexpensive electric light.
In the 1880s, Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse battled over control of America's electrical system. This rivalry, known as the "War of Currents", centred around the question of which type of electric current was better: alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC). Westinghouse believed that AC, which could transmit high-voltage energy over long distances using lower currents, was the superior option. On the other hand, Edison favoured DC and claimed that AC was unworkable and dangerous due to its high voltages.
To promote his own system and discredit Westinghouse, Edison resorted to various tactics, including staging publicity events and petitioning for the use of AC in the electric chair, hoping that people would associate AC with a negative connotation. The rivalry between the two inventors was intense and personal, with Edison striking out at his chief rival, stating:
> "Just as certain as death, Westinghouse will kill a customer within six months after he puts in a system of any size. He has got a new thing and it will require a great deal of experimenting to get it working practically."
The battle between Edison and Westinghouse played out in the consumer market, with each trying to gain the upper hand and ruin the other's business. Westinghouse focused on expanding into rural and suburban areas that Edison's system could not easily reach, while also making inroads into cities like New Orleans, selling electricity at a loss to cut into Edison's market share. By 1887, Westinghouse had quickly caught up and had almost half as many generating stations as Edison.
The rivalry also spilled over into the courtroom, with Edison suing Westinghouse in 1888 for what historians estimate to be about a billion dollars. Westinghouse responded by hiring a young, ambitious lawyer named Paul Cravath, who had recently graduated from Columbia Law School. Despite the intense competition, Edison and Westinghouse's rivalry ultimately led to the development and improvement of electrical systems, with both systems proving to have their own advantages and use cases.
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Edison's other inventions
Thomas Edison is one of the most famous inventors in American history. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures.
Edison's genius lay in improving on existing technologies and making them more practical for the general public. He was also a pioneer in raising capital and building a research and development team, which became the modern corporate R&D process.
- The phonograph, which could record and play back sounds, including music. This was his first major invention, which brought him widespread notice.
- The motion picture camera, inspired by his work on the phonograph.
- The Kinetoscope, a peep-hole viewer installed in penny arcades, allowing people to watch short, simple films.
- The telegraph, a vast improvement on Samuel Morse's system, which could record up to 1,000 words a minute.
- The Quadruplex Telegraph, which could send two messages at the same time on the same wire.
- The Wireless Telegraph for radio communications between ships.
- The alkaline storage battery, which was first used for electric cars.
- The nickel-iron battery, for which he obtained a US and European patent in 1901.
- The first electric copy machine, which could create 5,000 copies of a document at once.
- Edison Portland Cement, a robust version of Portland Cement, which he created while working on a giant mine project in northwestern New Jersey.
- The electric railway.
- The iron ore separator, using magnets to separate iron ore from low-grade, unusable ores.
- The light bulb, although he was not the first to invent it, Edison improved the design to make it long-lasting and practical for wide use.
Edison was legally credited with most inventions produced at Menlo Park, although many employees carried out research and development under his direction.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Thomas Edison did not invent electricity. However, he did play a significant role in introducing the modern age of electricity by finding a way to put electric lighting in homes and offices on a grand scale.
On October 22, 1879, Thomas Edison and his assistants invented a working electric light bulb. The bulb with the carbonized thread burned for about 13 and a half hours.
Thomas Edison patented a record-setting 1,093 inventions. Some of his notable inventions include the phonograph, the kinetoscope, the dictating machine, the electric meter, the electric pen, the mimeograph, the quadruplex, the first commercial electric light and power system, and key elements of motion-picture equipment.
