Biography of Edison: Young Readers' Library (Color Illustrations Edition)

Author: Shi Rongxin
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-03-01
Features: Edison was born on February 11, 1847, in Milan, a small town in Ohio, in the central part of the United States. His father was a descendant of the Dutch, and his mother, a former elementary school teacher, was of Scottish descent. When Edison was seven years old, his father's roofing business failed, and the family moved to Gratiot in the northern suburbs of Huron, Michigan, to settle. Shortly after moving there, Edison contracted scarlet fever and was ill for a long time. People believed this disease was the cause of his deafness. At the age of eight, Edison attended school for only three months before being expelled by his teacher for being labeled "slow." From then on, his mother became his "home teacher." Due to his mother's excellent teaching methods, he developed a strong interest in reading. "He not only read extensively but also read ten lines at a glance and memorized everything he read." At the age of eight, he read the works of Shakespeare and Dickens, two of the most important playwrights of the British Renaissance, as well as many important historical books. By the age of nine, he could quickly read books that were more difficult, such as Park's Natural and Experimental Philosophy. At the age of ten, he was passionate about chemistry. In his eleventh year, he experimented with his own telegraph. To earn money to buy chemicals and equipment, he began working. At the age of twelve, he got a job selling newspapers on trains and traveled between Huron Port and Detroit, Michigan. He sold newspapers while also engaging in the business of fruits and vegetables, and whenever he had free time, he went to the library to read. He bought an old printing press and began publishing his own weekly newspaper, The Herald, which was printed on the train. He set up a chemical laboratory in a baggage car using the money he earned. Unfortunately, one day, a fire broke out in the chemicals, and he and his equipment were thrown out of the car. On another occasion, while trying to board a freight train, a conductor grabbed both of his ears to help him up. This action led to Edison becoming deaf for life. In August 1862, Edison bravely saved a boy who was about to be hit by a train on the tracks. The boy's father was deeply grateful, but as he had no money to repay him, he offered to teach him telegraph technology. From then on, Edison became involved in this mysterious new world of electricity and embarked on a scientific journey. In 1863, Edison became a telegraph operator at the Stratford hub of the main railway line. From 1864 to 1867, he worked as a telegraph operator in various places in the Midwest, living a life similar to a vagabond. His travels included Stratford, Adrian, Wayne, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Nashville, Tennessee, Memphis, Louisville, and Huron. In 1868, Edison came to Boston as a telegraph operator. That same year, he obtained his first patent for an automatic vote-counting device. He believed this device would speed up the work of Congress and would be well-received. However, a member of Congress told him that they had no intention of speeding up the agenda, as slow voting was sometimes politically necessary. From then on, Edison decided never to invent anything that people didn't need. In early June 1869, he came to New York to find work. While waiting for an interview at a broker's office, a telegraph machine broke down. Edison was the only one there who could fix it, and thus he secured a better job than he had expected. In October, he founded a company called "Pop-Eddison" with Pop, specializing in scientific instruments for electrical engineering. Here, he invented the "Edison Universal Printing Press." He presented this printing press to the manager of a large company on Wall Street, intending to ask for $5,000, but he lacked the courage to say it. Instead, he asked the manager to name a price, and the manager offered $40,000. Edison used this money to build a factory on Ward Street in Newark, New Jersey, specializing in the production of various electrical machines. He worked day and night. He trained many capable assistants and also met a diligent Mary, who would become his future wife. In Newark, he invented things like wax paper and the oil printing press. From 1872 to 1875, Edison invented the dual and quadruple telegraph, and also helped others to create the world's first English typewriter. In the spring of 1876, Edison moved again, this time to Menlo Park, New Jersey. Here, he built a "invention factory," which marked the beginning of collective research. In 1877, Edison improved the early telephone invented by Bell and put it into practical use. He also invented one of his favorite projects—the phonograph. The telephone and telegraph "were a revolution in expanding human sensory functions"; the phonograph was one of the three greatest inventions that changed people's lives, and "in terms of the imagination behind the invention, it was one of his most significant achievements." By this time, people called him the "magician of Menlo Park." While inventing the phonograph, Edison finally made a breakthrough in the research of electric lighting after countless failures. On October 22, 1879, Edison lit a light with broad practical value. To extend the life of the filament, he conducted further experiments and tried about 6,000 different fiber materials before finding a new luminescent material—Japanese bamboo filament, which could last for over 1,000 hours, achieving the goal of durability. In some ways, this invention was the pinnacle of Edison's life. He then created an electrical power distribution system that allowed distant lights to be supplied from a central power station, a major technological achievement. His first discovery in pure science occurred in 1883. While experimenting with electric lighting, he observed what he called the "Edison effect": charges moving from the hot filament through the air to the cold plate inside the light bulb. Edison applied for a patent for this discovery in 1884 but did not pursue further research. Other scientists later used the Edison effect to develop the electronics industry, particularly radio and television. Edison then tried to do for the eyes what the phonograph had done for the ears, and the motion picture camera was born. Using a new celluloid film invented by George Eastman, he took a series of photos and rapidly projected them onto a screen to create the illusion of motion. His first experiments with motion pictures in the laboratory were in 1889, and he applied for a patent in 1891. In 1903, his company produced a story film, "The Train Robbery." Edison played a significant role in the organization and standardization of the film industry. In 1887, after moving his laboratory to West Orange, New Jersey, to produce and promote his various inventions, he founded several commercial companies. These companies later merged to form the Edison General Electric Company, which was later renamed General Electric. After that, his interest shifted to fluorescence, ore-crushing machines, the magnetic separation of iron, batteries, and railway signaling devices. During World War I, he developed torpedo mechanisms, flamethrowers, and periscopes. On October 21, 1929, on the 50th anniversary of the invention of the electric light, a grand celebration was held in honor of Edison, with famous scientists such as Albert Einstein from Germany and Marie Curie from France expressing their congratulations to him. Unfortunately, during this celebration, when Edison was giving his speech, he suddenly fainted due to overexcitement. From then on, his health deteriorated. On October 18, 1931, this great scientist, who had made tremendous contributions to humanity, passed away due to illness at the age of 84. Despite having very little formal education, Edison made such enormous contributions to humanity. What was his "secret"? He had a curious mind and an instinct for hands-on experimentation, as well as extraordinary perseverance and courage in hard work beyond the ordinary. When someone called Edison a "genius," he explained, "Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration." At the "invention factory," he organized people from various fields, including scientists, engineers, technicians, and workers, with a total of over 100 people. Many of Edison's major inventions were successful thanks to this collective effort. His achievements were mainly due to his diligence, creative talent, and the power of teamwork. Additionally, his wife also played a significant role. Here is a timeline of Edison's inventions: On October 11, 1868, he invented the "vote counter" and obtained his first patent. On October 1869, he co-founded the "Pop-Eddison Company" with a friend. In 1870, he invented the universal printing press, sold the patent for $40,000, and set up his own manufacturing plant in New York. From 1872 to 1876, he invented the electric drawing telegraph, automatic recording telegraph method, dual and quadruple telegraph method, and manufactured wax paper carbon resistors, among other things. In 1875, he invented the sound wave analysis resonator. In 1876, he established a laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey—a industrial research laboratory, which was the precursor to the modern concept of a "research team." He invented the carbon microphone and applied for a patent for an automatic recording telegraph. In 1877, at Menlo Park, he improved the early telephone invented by Bell and put it into practical use. He obtained three patents: a perforating pen, an air-driven pen, and a regular pen. On August 20, he invented the phonograph, which became one of his favorite projects. In 1878, Edison declared his intention to solve the problem of electric lighting. The Royal Society held an exhibition of the phonograph. He improved the phonograph, designed microphones, loudspeakers, aerial loudspeakers, sound engines, tuning engines, microthermometers, and flavor testers. On February 19, he obtained a patent for the phonograph. In July, he traveled to Wyoming with Professor Park of the University of Pennsylvania to observe a total solar eclipse and used his newly invented thermometer to measure the temperature around the sun. On August 30, he returned to Menlo Park and resumed scientific research. The British approved his application for a patent for the "recording and reproducing machine." In September, he visited William Wallace in Connecticut. He began research on electric lighting. On October 5, he filed a patent application for a platinum filament "electric light." From 1879 to 1880, after thousands of failures, he invented a high-resistance incandescent lamp. He improved the generator, designed new methods for current distribution, circuit calibration, and calculation methods. He invented electric lamp sockets and switches. He invented the magnetic ore separator. On August 30, 1879, Edison and Bell demonstrated their telephone devices in the town hall of Saratoga Springs, with Edison's phone being clearer than Bell's. On October 21, 1879, he invented a high-resistance incandescent lamp that burned for 40 hours continuously. On November 1, he applied for a carbon filament lamp patent. On December 21, the New York Express reported on Edison's incandescent electric lamp. On December 25, he gave a public demonstration of electric lighting to 3,000 visitors at Menlo Park. In 1880, he researched helicopters. He obtained a patent for the electric lamp and manufactured a magnetic ore separator. On January 28, he filed a patent application for the "electric power distribution system." On February 18, the Scribner's Monthly published an article titled Edison's Electric Light, officially announcing the invention of the electric light. On May , the Columbia, a ship illuminated by electric lights, successfully completed its trial voyage. On December 12, the New York Edison Electric Lighting Company was established. In 1881, the headquarters was set up on Fifth Avenue in New York. A white incandescent lamp factory was established in New York. Factories for manufacturing generators, underground wires, and lamp parts were also set up. In Menlo Park, he tested electric trams. In 1882, he invented the three-wire current distribution system. He applied for 141 patents. On September 4, he established a central factory. By the end of December, over 150 small power stations had been established across the United States. In 1885, on May 23, he filed a patent for wireless telegraphy. From 1887 to 1890, he improved the cylinder phonograph, obtaining over 80 patents related to the phonograph. He engaged in the manufacturing and sales of phonographs, records, and speech machines. In 1888, he invented the cylinder phonograph. In 1889, he participated in the Paris Centennial Exposition. He invented various electric railways and completed the motion picture camera. From 1890 to 1899, he designed large rock crushers and grinders. He personally directed the large-scale development of iron ore at the Ogden mine using new methods. In 1891, he invented the "Edison ore separator" and began operating his own mining business. He obtained a patent for the "motion picture projector." On May 20, a successful motion picture viewer was publicly demonstrated at Edison's laboratory in West Orange, New Jersey. In 1893, a film studio, the world's , was built in the courtyard of Edison's laboratory. In 1894, on April 14, he opened the motion picture theater in New York. On April 23, 1896, he gave the first public screening of films using the "Vitascope" in New York's Koster & Bialy Music Hall, which was warmly received by the public. In 1902, he conducted experiments using new batteries as vehicle power, with a range of 5,000 miles and a distance of 100 miles per charge, which was successful. In 1903, his company produced a story film, "The Train Robbery." In 1909, after ten years of research, he successfully developed batteries. He invented the facsimile telegraph and obtained patents for the raw material machine, the refining grinder, and the long kiln design. From 1910 to 1914, he completed the disk phonograph, which did not damage records or diamond records. He also completed the sound film machine. In 1910, he invented the "disk record." In 1912, he invented "sound film." He developed the transcribing phonograph. From 1914 to 1915, he invented the carbolic acid synthesis method and combined the phonograph and speech machine into a remote writing machine, where one telephone could automatically record the other person's speech. He also manufactured benzene, indigo oil, and other chemicals. From 1915 to 1918, he completed 39 inventions, the most famous of which were the torpedo mechanism, flamethrowers, and underwater periscopes. In 1927, he completed long-playing records. In 1928, he successfully extracted rubber from wild grass. On the morning of October 18, 1931, at 3:24 a.m., Edison passed away with a contented smile, aged 84. At the end of his life, he said calmly, "I have done my best for the happiness of humanity; there is nothing to regret." On the day of his funeral, all the lights in the United States were turned off for one minute to express mourning. This was the most solemn way people expressed their infinite longing for Edison and a silent tribute to this great inventor.