Edison salutes the genius of Einstein and celebrates his upcoming birthday on March 14th.

Although Thomas Edison (1847-1931) was considerably older than Albert Einstein (1879-1955), both men were quite similar in their ability to change the world; Edison in our physical world and standards of living, and Einstein in redefining the universe and our relationship with it. These two men are often referred to as being among the top change agents in world history.

Both had an indomitable persistence in trying new ideas, as exemplified through similar quotes:

Einstein:

“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.”

Edison:

“I have not failed 10,000 times, I’ve successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work.”

They also possessed a “no bones about it” outlook on thinking outside the box-

Einstein:

“Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

Edison:

“There are no rules here. We are trying to accomplish something!”

Edison and Einstein were indefatigable workers, hot on the trails of their respective areas of expertise. Work and play for them were largely indistinguishable. Copious notes were kept by both men, always aware of the need for continuous research and self-improvement. Their lives reflected great personal discipline and focus.

In the year of Einstein’s birth 1879, Edison invents the first commercially viable electric light, and on December 31st of that year, lights up his Menlo Park Facility—the first Christmas holiday light display is born. There is another interesting play on “light” as well. Einstein goes on to revolutionize physics with his interpretations of light and its relationship to matter and energy with his famous equation stating that “energy equals mass times the speed of light squared”.