Born: Milan, Ohio
Occupation: Inventor, entrepreneur, project manager, technology leader, manufacturer, businessman
Accomplishments: 1,093 patents
Major industries impacted:
- music industry (phonographs)
- motion pictures (camera to projector)
- power industry/electric light bulb
- the West Orange invention factory [R&D labs]
Championed and built [100 years ago]:
- electric vehicles
- storage batteries
- in-garage charging stations
- revamped the concrete industry with new and larger kiln designs (Portland Cement)
- major improvements to telephone in collaboration with Alexander Graham Bell
Most Recognized Edison Quote: “I have not failed 10,000 times. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
Impact on the World:
- The technology, inventions and industries that he created still account for $1.5 trillion of U.S. economy [about 10% of U.S. GDP]; about 4 times that for world economy
- Life Magazine [1996] proclaimed him the “Man of the Millennium”
- TIME Magazine featured him on cover of special July 2010 history issue-proclaiming him so relevant to our world today
- Voice of America claims Edison’s technology is responsible for one-fourth of all the world’s jobs
- He is the human icon for invention and creativity
- Inspiration to generations of inventors and entrepreneurs
His multi-dimensional, multi-disciplinary method of problem solving has become the taproot for the hands-on, problem solving paradigm known as STEM, now sweeping the nation’s schools
FANS – Acknowledged Edison during their career
- Steve Jobs, Apple
- Jeff Bezos, Amazon
- Google Team, Innovators
- Bon Jovi, Musician
- Tony Hsieh, Zappos CEO
FURTHER INFORMATION ON THOMAS ALVA EDISON
WWW.THOMASEDISON.ORG
WWW.EDISONMUCKERS.ORG
