Unit 9, Lesson 5, Ex.3b) and d)

Thomas Alva Edison was the American great genius inventor, scientist and businessman who developed many devices that greatly influenced the quality of life around the world. It was he who suggested using the word ‘hello’ at the beginning of a call. Some 25,000 notebooks contained his research records, ideas and mistakes.

In 1837 the Edison family fled from Canada to the US because Thomas Edison’s father was involved in a revolutionary movement against the Canadian government. Ten years later Thomas was born, and within his first six years he had managed to burn down the family barn. During his early years, Thomas suffered from scarlet fever and several ear infections, which left him hard of hearing. Even so, he was a talkative child who used to annoy adults with his constant questions.

Although young Al (as he was called in those days) was certainly very gifted and must have had a very high IQ, one teacher called him ‘addled’, which meant confused or stupid. He attended three different schools between the ages of seven to nine, and none of his teachers had the patience to deal with the mischievous and inattentive student. Al liked to talk but not listen.

The hero of Al’s childhood was his mother, who pulled him out of school after the school master said Al was unteachable and became his mentor. Young Edison read every book on the shelves. Later on he came to like reading Shakespeare. Al was a scientist from a very early age, and his mother encouraged him. He loved to explore and experience, not learn by heart. His mother let him set a laboratory in the cellar. Her faith in his natural abilities was at odds with the rest of the world. Even his father seemed to think that he was stupid.

At the age of twelve, Al got a job selling newspapers and other goods on the train. He set up a chemistry lab in the baggage car, acquired a printing press and began publishing a newspaper for commuters. Unfortunately he started a fire in the chemistry lab and was fired. Throughout his teens he landed and lost many jobs, but he was inventing the whole time. As a railroad signalman he had to clock in every hour by telegraph. Al invented a way to transmit his hourly signal automatically, and was fired when he was caught. The invention, however, eventually led him to develop the first automatic telegraph and the first clock ticker. “I owe my success to the fact that I never had a clock in my workroom.’ One group of his workers called themselves ‘The Insomnia Squad’.

Edison wasn’t just an inventor. He was a businessman who was able to deal his inventions, attract new capital, and motivate his employees. And he was a very hard worker. He said his success was 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. He became close with another inventor and businessman, Henry Ford with whom he had a lot in common.

By the end of his career, Edison had received 1,093 patents and was credited for inventing the electric light bulb, the central power generating station, the phonograph, the flexible celluloid film and movie projector, alkaline storage battery and the microphone. Dozens of his inventions have been used for comfort and convenience, communication and entertainment. He used to repeat that he had not invented any weapons.

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