Last week, President Biden honored the French President Emmanuel Macron with lobster and a Thomas Edison patent, at his White House State dinner.

As part of the festivities, President Biden gave the President Macron a facsimile print of Thomas Edison’s 1877 patent of the American phonograph. Biden also gifted Macron a custom vinyl record collection of great American musicians, some of whom had been recorded by Thomas Edison as well.

During the dinner, Biden toasted to the “to the history that binds and the values that still unite us.” There is a long standing connection between the US and France, one that often includes Edison.

It all started with the Paris Exposition of 1889, when Thomas Edison exhibited his technological wonders there. The Eiffel Tower is the remaining landmark of that famous world’s fair that attracted 32 million visitors.

It was here that Gustav Eiffel and Edison forged their friendship. Gustave Eiffel had an apartment at the top of the Eiffel Tower where Eiffel hosted Thomas Alva Edison on September 10, 1889, at which time Edison presented Eiffel with an Edison Class M Phonograph.

Today, wax figures of Eiffel and Edison sit in that suite in an exhibit atop the Eiffel tower. The Statue of Liberty, engineered by Edison’s friend, still burns brightly in the Upper of Bay of New York as a gift from France for the 1876 for the American Centennial. Adding to this historical relationship now is a smaller piece of art, but just as beautiful and important – The technical drawings of Edison’s machine that began the entire American Music Industry.

Over the last 13 years, students have awed the Edison Innovation Foundation with their creativity and hard work at the STEM-based Thomas Edison Pitch Contest. Each year, elementary, middle and high school students submit prototypes that they have designed to “make the world a brighter place.” From health to alternative energy to animal welfare to space exploration, it is amazing to see what young minds can come up with the right tools and outlet. Here are 6 examples of just that:

1) AVOLT, the “Mechanical Heart Valve”: This Lacey Township High School team created an electrically motorized valve replacement with an ultrasonic sensor to regulate the aortic valve’s leaflets to coincide with the blood flow of the systole and diastole phases. This invention is meant to significantly help a patient’s postoperative and cardiovascular health, along with the aorta, which is the most important artery in the heart.

2) The Buzz Gloves for Astronauts: The Hockaday School created an updated tools for astronauts called The Buzz Gloves. Although a version of this device is being used by NASA, this team took it a step farther creating a more cost-effective and broader interpretation for their own invention. When the astronaut touches something hard enough, the gloves will make a buzz sound and light up to prevent injury and, of course, their nails from breaking!

3) Solar Aqua Tech Reusable Water Bottle: This Ridgewood High School team created a water bottle that converts undrinkable to drinkable using only sunlight and oxygen. This cheaper and easily accessible way to sanitize water can help make clean water more accessible to people in need all over the world.

4) Hot Paws Leash: This duo from Hewitt-Trussville High School created an infrared dog leash meant to solve a problem that not many people think about with their dogs, but is a huge problem especially in hot parts of the country – Burns from pavement that is too hot! With this invention, pet owners can prevent pain and trip to the vet with just pointing the temperature gun at the ground to decide where it is safe for their pet to walk.

5) Hanu Screening Application: This student from Cupertino High School created the “first ever” end-to-end machine-learning driven solution for remote screening of respiratory illnesses. Influenced by her grandfather’s own COPD, she has created this low cost, accurate invention makes it an accessible tool for patients to monitor this respiratory illnesses.

6) High Efficiency Vertical Farming: This team’s invention reduces the need for artificial lighting in vertical farming, a more sustainable and affordable solution for worldwide food shortages. This Cabrillo Middle School team created a working, smart prototype powered by alternative energy that can be used by home gardeners and small farms alike – Earning them not only a top spot in the finals but the Nexans-Edison award for the most innovative use of alternative energy.

If you were impressed by these projects, we’re here to tell you that you and your students can do the same! The Thomas Edison Pitch Contest was created in 2010 as a competition to showcase and encourage invention, innovation and entrepreneurship among students before they get to college. Every year, students submit their great ideas to win prizes and gain the hands-on experience exclusive to our contest!

Early registration for this year’s contest is now open…Learn how to sign up on the website here: https://www.thomasedisonpitch.org/

Thomas Alva Edison’s son, Charles Edison was the Secretary of the Navy, Governor of New Jersey and a nationally recognized corporate executive. He died July 31, 1969, three days days shy of his 79th birthday. He was also the founder of The Brook Foundation (the “Brook”), a philanthropic institution created to support worthwhile endeavors in medical research, science education and historic preservation.

Charles named his foundation after a Sunday School song that he recalled from the days of his childhood. As we approach the holidays and Giving Tuesday 2022, we remember its words:

Give, said the little brook,
Give, oh give – give, oh give
Give, said the little brook,
Oh give, oh give away
I am little I know, but wherever I go
I give, I give, I give.
I am little I know, but wherever I go
I give, I give away.
Giving, giving all the day;
Give, oh give, oh give away.
Giving, giving all the day,
I give, I give away.

Although the fund doesn’t go by “The Brook Foundation” anymore, it is still active and serving its original purpose today under his own namesake, the Charles Edison Fund. His long-range goal for the fund was that of creating an institution capable of carrying on after his passing. 53 years later, the foundation still works hard to support the legacy of his father, Thomas Edison, and promote education, specifically careers in science and technology. We use our large collection of artifacts, Edison’s Intellectual Property and the Thomas Edison National Historical Park as the foundation for lighting the way to a brighter future. If you are confused how those missions go together, we will leave you with this important quote about history:

“History is important because it teaches us about the past. By learning about the past, you come to understand the present so you can make educated decisions about the future.”

Richelle Mead

In fact, the Charles Edison Fund now also has a sister fund, the Edison Innovation Foundation that is specifically devoted to educational goals. One of the foundation’s main programs is the annual Thomas Edison Pitch Contest. The contest was created in 2010 as a competition to honor Thomas Edison and encourage invention, innovation and entrepreneurship among students before they get to college. Every year, students in grades 4-12 submit their own invention to win prizes and gain the hands-on experience exclusive to our contest! We provide supplies, curriculum and stipends so they have all the support they need to solve a problem they see in the world today. Early registration for the Thomas Edison Pitch Contest contest actually begins next month on December 1st! You can go to the website to learn more: www.thomasedisonpitch.org.

The Charles Edison Fund’s motto is “Doing well by doing good.” The world is a better place with forward thinkers like Thomas Edison, and we are proud to be carrying on his memory and cultivating the next generation of pioneers (which we are ensuring will be made up of all genders and races) to solve the problems of today and tomorrow. Thomas Edison, himself, was also a humantarian.

Thomas Edison did not invent to make money…he made money to invent! He had a unique way of linking technological progress to society’s well being. He once said:

​“My desire is to do everything within my power to free people from drudgery and create the largest measure of happiness and prosperity.”

Thomas Edison

​Edison propelled his philanthropy through his business whether it was bio-manufacturing a new rubber plant when there were fears that the US would run out of the natural resource, developing low cost concrete houses to address housing shortages, or allowing the free use of his fluoroscope patent(s) for medical use.

Following the Edisons’ footsteps, we invite you to join us this holiday season in supporting students, entrepreneurs, scientists, historical preservation, medical advances, environmental causes, and more. If you are interested in donating to our cause, you can visit our website here: https://www.thomasedison.org/donate.

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The Charles Edison Fund, a direct link back the Edison family, is once again honored to fulfill its philanthropic mission, with these two examples of deserving honor.

1. Francis Ouimet (“Ouimet”) was America’s first golf hero.  Before him, golf in America was more of a curiosity than a mainstream sport and the British elite dominated the game. Ouimet was born in 1893 to a French-Canadian immigrant father and an Irish immigrant mother, into the lowest echelons of American society. With a burning passion for the game, in 1913, at the age of 20, Ouimet, an avid caddy, won the U.S. Open. His storybook triumph sent shock waves through the sporting world and proved that American golf was now equal of its rival in Britain and more importantly, that anyone could achieve success if they tried hard enough.  

This story rings the “little fellow makes good” bell, reminding us of the long struggle Thomas Edison endured to become the greatest inventor in the world. The planned restoration of the Ouimet home to honor Francis’s accomplishment, motivated the Charles Edison Fund to contribute $10,000 to this effort. Poignantly, the 2022 U.S. Open was played at the very country club in Brookline MA where he won in 1913, just a short distance from his newly renovated home. This project clearly falls within the historic mission of the Charles Edison Fund and Chairman Keegan visited it recently to confirm how its funds have been allocated to the building.

2. For decades the Charles Edison Fund has honored entrepreneurs and innovators through many Edison fellowship programs, one of which is located at the Harvard Kennedy School (“KSG). Last year the choice for an Edison Fellowship at the Harvard Kennedy School was Alberto (“Beto”) Altamirano for his work in social innovation. Beto is founder and CEO of Irys Technologies, an AI-driven software company that allows people to seamlessly engage in meaningful community-based communications. For instance, citizens can notify government officials of needed infrastructure concerns such as potholes, broken or deteriorated infrastructure…etc. Already, 16 cities, involving 150,000 people have used this software to support citizen concerns across all socio-economic levels. Specifically, our $150,000 initial grant to KSG in December, 1992, has grown to have a base of $1,099,754 from which funds Beto’s scholarship was underwritten.

Working at the interface of smart cities and public policy, Beto is well- positioned to bring user-friendly technology to city dwellers, to make a difference in their lives and the health of their communities. Again, the Edison connection is strong, as Edison’s great inventions like recorded sound, telegraphy, the improved telephone and motion pictures were, like Beto’s software, based on greatly improving human communication.