Question

What were Thomas Edison’s experiences as a young man which showed his promise as a great inventor?

Answer 1

Thomas Edison exhibited promise as an inventor with his early endeavors in telegraphy and lab work, leading to inventions like the phonograph and the electric light bulb. His first creation was an automatic vote counter and he established the Edison Electric Illuminating Company, setting precedents for American industry.

Step-by-step explanation:

Thomas Alva Edison's journey as a young man manifested his potential as a prolific inventor. His early fascination with the telegraph industry began when he sold candy and newspapers aboard trains, which led him to experiment with telegraph technology. By 1876, Edison was fully dedicated to laboring in his laboratory as an inventor. Among his notable inventions were the phonograph, the mimeograph machine, the motion picture projector, the dictaphone, and the storage battery. The creation of the practical incandescent light bulb in 1879 marked a pivotal point, with Edison exploring numerous materials for the filament, eventually settling on carbonized cotton thread.

Edison's first invention, an automatic vote counter, showed his innovative spirit despite its commercial failure. His creation of the Edison Electric Illuminating Company in 1882, with backing from J.P. Morgan, and the subsequent formation of the Edison General Electric Company, illustrated Edison's ability to merge scientific innovation with entrepreneurial vision.

His work ethos, famously quoted as "genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration," along with his record-breaking 1,093 patents, cement Edison's legacy as a transformative figure in American industrial history. Edison's methods set vital precedents, as seen with his assembly line process and the use of organized research teams in large laboratories, which became staples in industrial manufacturing.

Answer 2

As a young child, Thomas Edison only briefly attended school. He learned to read, write, and do math from his mother, but he was always eager to learn more and devoured a tonne of books on his own. This was how he lived all his life. He began working as a newsboy at the age of thirteen, peddling newspapers and candies on the local train that ran between Port Huron and Detroit. He read a lot of technical and scientific books in his free time and also learned how to use a telegraph. Edison was proficient enough to work as a telegrapher full-time by the time he was sixteen.