STORIES
Scientists
DONATE

Thomas Edison

by Gil from Springfield

Thomas Edison (Wikepidia)
Thomas Edison (Wikepidia)

Thomas Edison was a great American inventor. He invented the long lasting light bulb and the phonograph. The phonograph is a type of music player. He invented the kintograph which could play short films. Edison's inventions made our lives very easy. He was a genius and made many useful items we take for granted in our day and age. That is why he is a hero.

Edison's light bulb took many years to invent. While inventors before him invented the light bulb, he perfected it. This new light bulb could last for hundreds of hours without fading. His invention of the phonograph also landed him a nickname. People called him The Wizard of Menlo Park, which was the name of his factory. The phonograph seemed like magic to people who never heard music recorded and played out loud. That seems so alien to people in our generation.

Edison also discovered X-rays. Though he had no success in finding a way to use them he still set the stage for others wanting to use them. He abandoned this project after he sustained eye damage and maimed his helper. Clarence Dally, one of Edison's helpers, wanted to be a guinea pig for the X-ray. He used it on his arm and died from the poison of it. Later many other scientists found that the X-ray only showed hard objects not skin tissue and could be used to see through people's bodies.

Edison's true fame came from his ability to maximize profits using smaller amounts of equipment. His employee Nikola Tesla's Alternative Current system, (AC) used less expensive wire to transfer more voltage. So basically they could provide power to homes less expensively. This revolutionized a lot of the electrical market. That is what really made him famous. That is how Thomas Edison became so widely known as a great American inventor.

Thomas Edison was a great person. He is a hero because of his many inventions that helped us in our everyday lives. His inventions of the kintogaph, phonograph and long lasting light bulb revolutionized American electronics. His discovering of X-rays paved the way for modern medical practices. He made many things easier for us and that is why he is a hero. Now we don't have to live in the dark.

Bibliography: The information found in this piece was found at www.wikepidia.com under Thomas Edison.

Page created on 4/25/2008 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 4/25/2008 12:00:00 AM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.