Edison's earliest interest in natural science was in chemistry. 10 years old, he loved chemistry. He collected about 200 bottles and saved every penny to buy chemicals and put them in bottles. At the age of 1 1, he experimented with his first telegram. In order to make money to buy chemicals and equipment, he began to work. At the age of 12, he got a job selling newspapers on the train and traveled between Portron, Michigan and Detroit. While selling newspapers, he also deals in fruits and vegetables. Whenever he is free, he goes to the library to read books. 186 1 year, the American civil war broke out. Edison, who just turned 14 years old, bought an old money printing machine and used the convenience of taking the train to run a tabloid (weekly) Herald to convey the war situation and news along the way. The first issue of this weekly is printed on the train. He is also a journalist, editor, typesetter, proofreader, printer and publisher. The tabloids are very popular, and he also gained talent, knowledge and experience from his intense work, and earned a lot of money to continue his chemical experiments. With the money he earned, he set up a chemistry laboratory on the baggage car. Unfortunately, when he was doing an experiment on the train, the train suddenly bumped, causing a piece of phosphorus to fall on the board and cause burning. The conductor came to put out the fire and gave him a heavy slap, which made him deaf. He was kicked off the train when Edison was 15 years old. Another way of saying it is: Unfortunately, once a chemical caught fire, he was thrown out of the car with his equipment. Another time, when Edison tried to board a freight train, a conductor grabbed him by the ear and helped him get on the train. This action led to Edison's lifelong deafness. )
Frustration did not discourage Edison. He fell in love with the telegraph again. After repeated research, he invented the automatic power recorder at 1868, which was his first invention. Later, he invented two new types of telegrams. 1877, he invented the carbon telephone transmitter to make the original telephone sound clearer. In addition, he invented the phonograph. People call him a magician.
1878 In September, Edison began to study electric lights when he was 3 1 year old. At that time, the gas lamp had replaced the kerosene lamp, but the flame flickered and when it was extinguished, it would produce harmful gas; Arc lamp has also been invented and used in public places, but it is not suitable for indoor use because it hisses when burning and is too bright. At that time, many European and American scientists were already exploring to make a new and stable luminous body.
Edison studied the arc lamp and announced that he could invent a satisfactory lamp, but he needed money. At that time, he was a man with 170 invention patents, and his inventions brought huge profits to capitalists, so a consortium was willing to provide him with financial assistance. After thousands of failures, in April of 1879, he improved the rod-shaped and tubular lamps of his predecessors and made a glass ball. 1879 65438+1Oct. 2 1 He fixed a carbon-treated cotton thread in a glass bulb, pumped out air, sealed the mouth, applied current to make it glow, and a new lighting object appeared.
From 1880 to 1882, Edison designed light sockets, buttons, fuses, current breakers, electric meters, chandeliers, and also designed main line and branch line systems, making the world's largest generator at that time, establishing the first power plant in new york and opening up the first civil lighting system. Later, he and george eastman invented the movie camera together. Edison's three great inventions: the phonograph, the electric light and power system and the movie camera enriched and improved the civilized life of mankind.
Edison died on 193 1, 10,18 (10,9) at the age of 84. However, so far no one can break his record of holding 1099 invention patents, and people call him the king of invention.
The Journey of Life, Invention and Science
1862 In August, Edison rescued a dying boy on the train track with fearless heroism. The child's father is grateful for this, but he is willing to teach him telegraph technology because he has no money to reward him. Since then, Edison has forged an indissoluble bond with this mysterious new electric world and embarked on a scientific journey.
1863, Edison worked as a telecom operator in Stratford Hub Station, the main railway line. From 1864 to 1867, I worked as a telegraph operator in all parts of the central and western regions and lived a life similar to wandering. Footprints include Stratford, Adrian, fort wayne, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Nashville, Tennessee, Memphis, Louisville and Huron.
At the beginning of June 1869, he came to new york to look for a job. While he was waiting for a summons in the broker's office, a telegram broke down. Edison was the only person there who could repair the telegraph, so he got a better job than he expected. On June+10, 65438, he and Pop established "Pop-Edison Company", which specializes in scientific instruments for electrical engineering. Here, he invented "Edison Universal Printing Machine". He dedicated this printing machine to the manager of a big company on Wall Street. He wanted to charge 5000 dollars, but he didn't have the courage to say it. So he asked the manager to give a price, and the manager gave 40 thousand yuan.
Edison used the money to build a factory in Ward Street, Newark, New Jersey, which specializes in manufacturing all kinds of motors. He worked all night. He trained many capable assistants, and at the same time, he happened to meet diligent Mary Stilwell, his first bride in the future. In Newark, he invented wax paper and mimeograph. From 1872 to 1875, Edison invented the two-pole and four-pole telegraph successively, and helped others to make the world's first English typewriter.
1876 In the spring, Edison moved to Monroe Park in New Jersey again. He built the first "invention factory" here, which "marked the beginning of collective research". 1877, Edison improved the telephone invented by Bell and put it into practical use. He also invented the phonograph, one of his favorite projects. Telephone and telegraph "are a revolution to expand human sensory functions"; The phonograph is one of the three great inventions that have changed people's lives. "From the imagination of the invention, this is his extremely significant invention achievement." At this time, people called him "the magician of Monroe Park".
When Edison invented the phonograph, after numerous failures, he finally made a breakthrough in the study of electric lights. 1879, 10 year1October 22nd, Edison lit the first electric lamp with wide practical value. In order to prolong the life of the filament, he tried more than 6,000 kinds of fiber materials and found a new luminous body-Japanese bamboo filament, which can last for more than 1000 hours and achieve the purpose of durability. To some extent, this invention is the pinnacle of Edison's life. Then, he created a power supply system, which made the distant lights distribute electricity from the central power station, which was a great technical achievement.
His first discovery in pure science appeared in 1883. When testing the electric lamp, he observed what he called the Edison effect: in a lighted bulb, charge travels through space from the hot filament to the cold plate. Edison applied for a patent for this discovery in 1884, but did not study it further. Scientists nearby developed the electronic industry, especially radio and television, by using the Edison effect.
Edison tried to do for his eyes what the phonograph did for his ears, and the movie camera was born here. Using a piece of celluloid film newly invented by George Heasman, he took a series of photos and projected them on the curtain quickly and continuously, creating the illusion of movement. He experimented with movies for the first time in the laboratories of 1889 and 189 1. 1903, his company produced the first feature film great train robbery. Edison did a lot of work for the establishment and standardization of the film industry.
After Edison moved his laboratory to West Orange in 1887, he founded many commercial companies, manufactured products and popularized his various inventions. These companies later merged into Edison General Electric Company, which was later called General Electric Company. Since then, his interests have turned to fluorescence, ore mashers, magnetic separation of iron, storage batteries and railway signaling devices.
During World War I, he developed a torpedo device, a flamethrower and an underwater periscope.
1929 10 2 1 On the 50th anniversary of the invention of electric light, people held a grand celebration for Edison, and famous scientists such as Albert Einstein of Germany (Federal Republic of Germany) and Madame Curie of France (born in Poland) congratulated him one after another. Unfortunately, at this celebration, Edison suddenly fainted because of excessive excitement during his defense. Since then, his health has gone from bad to worse 193 1 year1October 18 The scientist who made great contributions to mankind died of illness at the age of 84.
Edison's cultural level is extremely low, but his contribution to mankind is so great. What is the secret here? In addition to curiosity, he also has an instinct to experiment by himself, that is, he has unlimited energy and courage to work hard beyond ordinary people. When someone called Edison a "genius", he explained: "Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration." He organized many people of different professions in the "invention factory", including more than 65,438+000 scientists, engineers, technicians and workers. Many of Edison's great inventions were achieved by collective strength. His achievements are mainly attributed to his diligence, creativity and collective strength. In addition, his wife also played a very important role.
Edison only attended primary school for three months in his life, and his knowledge came from his mother's teaching and self-study. His success should also be attributed to his mother's understanding and patient teaching since childhood, which made Edison, who was originally considered an imbecile, become a world-famous "king of invention" when he grew up.
According to statistics, about 1300 inventions in Edison's life were officially registered in the Patent Office. 188 1 is the highest recorded year of his invention. This year, he applied for filing 14 1 invention, and there was a new invention every three days on average.
The life of the great inventor Edison tells us that great achievements come from hard work.
As time goes by, Edison will not be forgotten. His life is glorious, and everything he has is for mankind. Edison made up his mind to make electric lights when he was a child. He saved his mother with wisdom, and there was still time for surgery.
[Edit this paragraph of Theolange's new life.
Edison 188 1 began to live in new York in the winter of, and his time in Monroe park became shorter and shorter. His wife and children live in new york, and his hometown Menlo Park has become a summer resort. The Edison family spent several summers in Monroe Park.
1884, Edison was 37 years old. This year is a sad year for Edison. 1884 In the summer, Mary Edison contracted typhoid fever here, which is a dangerous disease. At first, I thought she just had a cold, so she should take some medicine. So Edison, who worked hard in new york, didn't go to see her. Mary's sister Alice and the doctors try their best to take care of her every day and stay by the bed all the time.
Soon, his wife's condition deteriorated and Edison didn't go to graduate school for several days. Edison was derided as a "workaholic". He seldom comes to the graduate school, so his colleagues are very worried. Mrs. Edison's hope of recovery was dashed, and Mary Edison died in the early morning of August 9, 1984. After the funeral ceremony was held in the house, the coffin was transported to a small station and sent to her childhood hometown of new york by train. The news of her death was released on August 16: The wife of the famous inventor Edison died suddenly in Monroe Park, New Jersey on Saturday, 9th of this month. /kloc-a funeral was held on the afternoon of 0/2, attended by more than 400 guests. These include Edison's manager Aidan, assistant managers Johnson, Laurie, De Navarro and Roosevelt. Clothes hangers send many flowers. She was buried in Kekuaile Mountain Cemetery in new york.
After Mrs. Edison died, she left him three young children: Dortmund, 6 years old; Thomas Alva Jr., 8 years old; William L., 6 years old. The death of his wife made him feel lonely as never before. However, he had to go on working. He can't stop working because of this. He rented his house to William and holzer, sent his children to new york and entrusted them to his grandmother Steve.
Monroe Park can only give the inventor sad memories, so he moved out all the parts, medicines and instruments and discarded them. A few years later, the old house was burned down by lightning, and the old light factory next to the Pennsylvania Railway was also burned down. After Edison moved out, farmers moved in.
The big room above the laboratory was rented out for a dance. L.m。 Hirsch made it the headquarters of his band and set up a stage at the back of the room. The first floor downstairs used to be a cowshed. The old building gradually fell apart, and the wood was demolished to build a nearby house, and finally it collapsed.
The east end of the brick machine factory was transformed into a storage room for storing sundries in Monroe Park Fire Department. The other end was once used as a cowshed. There is a farmer named Thomas J. McConnell who lives in that small glass room and keeps many pigs on that ranch. Later, a family named willcocks moved into the house in the former office and raised a lot of chickens in the house.
During the years between 1884 and 1885, Edison's life was lonely and monotonous. Mary didn't ask much of Tom when she was alive. She loves him and understands the importance of his career. Edison didn't have much time for family life, but Mary was always waiting for him. Edison is lonely and monotonous now. He may have apologized to her because he didn't spend too much time.
Edison began the experiment of transforming arc lamp in 1877, and put forward the idea of dividing current to turn arc lamp into white light. The experiment should reach a satisfactory level. It is necessary to find a substance that can burn to white heat as a filament, and can withstand high-temperature combustion of more than 2000 degrees 1000 hours. At the same time, the usage should be simple, can withstand the impact of daily use, and the price should be low. It is also necessary to turn on and off one lamp without affecting the turn-off of any other lamp and maintain the relative independence of each lamp. This was a very bold idea at that time, which required great efforts to explore and experiment. As for the materials used for silk, Edison first experimented with carbonized materials, and then experimented with platinum-iridium alloy with high melting point. He also made 1600 different experiments on fine ores and seedlings, and the results failed. But at this time, he and his assistants have made great progress, knowing that incandescent filament must be sealed in a glass ball with high vacuum and not easy to melt. In this way, his experiment returned to carbon wire. He used it day and night in the first half of 1880, but Edison's incandescent lamp experiment still had no result. One day, he tore a bamboo filament tied to the edge of a banana fan in the laboratory into filaments and devoted all his energy to carbonization. Only the carbonation experiments of plants have reached more than 6000 kinds. It's been three years since his experiment notebook has more than 200 books and more than 40,000 pages. He works eighteen or nine hours a day. At three or four o'clock every morning, he only sleeps under the experimental table with two or three books on his head. Sometimes he sleeps on the stool three or four times a day for only half an hour at a time.
By the first half of 1880, Edison's incandescent lamp experiment was still inconclusive, and even his assistants were discouraged. One day, he tore a bamboo filament tied to the edge of a banana fan in the laboratory into filaments and carbonized it into filaments. The result is better than all previous experiments. This is Edison's first incandescent electric lamp-bamboo filament electric lamp. This kind of bamboo filament lamp lasted for many years. It was not until 1908 that tungsten was invented as a filament to replace it. Edison began to develop alkaline batteries after this, which was very difficult, and his research spirit was even more amazing. This kind of battery is used to provide power. He and a selected assistant have studied hard for nearly ten years and experienced many hardships and failures. One moment he thought he had reached his destination, but the next he knew he was wrong. But Edison never wavered and started again. It took about 50,000 tests and 150 test notes to achieve the goal.
Reference: Edison studied hard all his life, was good at thinking and worked hard. At the age of 75, he even signs in for work in the laboratory on time every day. For decades, he worked almost ten hours a day and read books in his study for three to five hours at night. If you spend the average person's life time, his life has doubled. So, on his 79th birthday, Edison proudly told people that I was 135 years old. He lived to be 84 years old and made 1 100 inventions in his life, among which the greatest contribution was to invent the phonograph and the automatic telegraph, and to experiment and improve the incandescent lamp and telephone. Edison began to study electric light in his early twenties, which lasted for 10 years. He chose thousands of different substances such as bamboo wool, graphite and tantalum as filament materials for experiments, and often stayed up late. Once he and his assistants worked continuously for five days and five nights. 1879 Edison made incandescent filament with carbon filament and lit it for 40 hours. Because the surface of carbon wire is porous and fragile, its strength is very low. It was soon replaced by tungsten wire.
[Edit this paragraph] Growth story
(1) childhood
Edison was born in a snowstorm at 3 am on February 1847+0 1. His father also took him to the streets to brag to others. Everyone calls him Al. Edison loved to ask questions when he was a child, and he often asked strange questions, which made people feel very annoyed. His family and pedestrians on the road are the objects of his inquiry. If he is not satisfied with the adults' answers, he will ask them himself. Mother told him that the goose was hatching eggs, and Al thought that if the goose could hatch eggs, so could I. A few days later, mom and dad found Al crouching in the wooden house, wondering what he was doing. When the family found Al incubating eggs, everyone burst into laughter.
When Al was eight years old, he went to primary school, but after only three months of classes, he dropped out. When Al is in class, his mother is often called to the school to talk to the teacher. This is because Al often asks some questions that the teacher thinks are strange. The teacher thought he was a mentally retarded child, so his mother decided to teach Al herself and was determined to make Al a great genius. In this way, Al began his self-study course, and Al was well taught by his mother. Later, Al also got permission to set up a laboratory in the basement. In order to prevent others from tampering with his experiments, Al also came up with a clever idea, that is, to put poison labels on the bottles of each experiment.
One morning when he was twelve years old, Al suddenly said to his mother, Mom, I want to sell newspapers, okay? Mom was shocked and dad was angry. But at Al's repeated requests, his parents finally agreed. He happily ran to the railway company and got permission to sell newspapers on the train. It's a hundred kilometers from Port Sheron to Detroit. After working as a newspaper boy in the car for several months, Al opened two stores in Detroit, one selling magazines and the other selling vegetables, fruits and cream. And agreed to share the prize money with them. Soon, another train was added to the railway, and Al sent a newsboy to sell it. In this way, a 12-year-old newsboy unconsciously became a young capitalist.
(2) Wandering years
Another time Edison lost his job because he used his invention in the wrong place-at that time, he worked as a night shift operator in the railway bureau. According to the regulations of the Railway Bureau, after 9 pm, the operator should send a signal to the train service center every hour to prevent the staff from sleeping lazy. So Edison made an automatic timing transmitter, which made Edison the most punctual and reliable transmitter in the whole situation. However, during an inspection, the train service director found Edison asleep, a delicate machine. Although the director appreciated his talent, the railway bureau needed an honest and quiet person, not an inventor, so Edison was fired again!
Before 2 1 year-old, Edison changed jobs frequently and ran around in some telecom and telegraph companies until he came to new york. With his mechanical knowledge and excellent maintenance technology, he slowly became famous and set up his own engineering company, specializing in manufacturing and improving some commercial machines, such as gold market monitors, stock market monitors, gold price printing machines and other commercial machines, while developing and contracting various scientific instruments.
(3) The genius of Romon Garden
1876, Edison established his experimental invention center in Romon Garden in southern New York, which is what we usually call "Edison Invention Factory". There are excellent equipment and instruments, and a group of talented experts. From 1876 to 1887, this group of scientists led by Edison carried out systematic, complex and diverse scientific research and development work here. If Edison's invention in Monroe Garden is listed as a table, I'm afraid that table will extend from the table to the floor. Many things in it are unfamiliar to us, but many of them are closely related to our lives.
(4) Young inventors
Shortly after Edison founded the newspaper, one day he saw a child playing on the tracks in front of the train. He jumped off the platform and saved the child from under the train wheels. The boy's father happens to be the stationmaster. He was very grateful and offered to teach Tom to be a telegraph operator. In order to repay Edison, the stationmaster taught Edison telegraph technology and made him a telegraph technician. Soon, Edison went to the telegraph office as a telegraph operator. Because he works at night and can do experiments during the day, the telegraph office stipulates to send each other a letter every hour. In order to sleep, he invented a machine that can automatically send messages and help him post letters, but he was finally found and dismissed. In this way, Edison often lost his job and became a wandering telecom mechanic, and his life was very unstable. One day, he heard the good news that South America was recruiting telecom technicians, but when they were going to South America, an old uncle told them that it was not good there, so the idea of going to South America disappeared, so he returned to his hometown-Port of Rest. During his wandering, Edison also studied hard, did experiments, studied and worked for him.
During Edison's return to China, his good friend Adams helped him find a job as a telecom mechanic in Boston, where Edison invented the automatic voting machine, which was Edison's first patented invention. Automatic voting machine is a machine with green and red buttons. Press the green button for "Yes" and the red button for "No". After the machine was finished, he went to Washington to do experiments with the machine. After arriving in Washington, the experimental results were very good, but members of the Committee still told Edison that the machine was not very practical. Sitting on the train home, he thought that "most of the inventions that inventors come up with in their minds are not practical, and only inventions that naturally arise from social needs are meaningful." Edison's first invention, though it failed in this way, taught Edison a valuable lesson. He became a successful inventor in the future because of the policies established at that time.
Edison continued to work hard and create his world for his curiosity and thirst for knowledge.
[Edit this paragraph] Interesting life story
Edison was curious about many things since he was a child, and he liked to try it himself until he understood the truth. When he grew up, he devoted himself to research and invention according to his interest in this field. He established a laboratory in New Jersey, and invented the electric light, telegraph, phonograph, film machine, magnetic mineral analyzer, crusher and so on for more than 2000 kinds of things in his life. Edison's strong research spirit made him make great contributions to the improvement of human lifestyle.
Edison started his first experiment in his own wooden shed.
Edison liked to think about a series of problems with his distinctive big head since he was a child. When he saw the blacksmith burning iron in the blazing fire and hammering into various tools, he shook his head and asked one question after another: What is fire? Why does the fire burn? Why is the fire so hot? Why does iron turn red after burning in a fire? Why is iron soft when it is red? Back home, little Edison started his first experiment in his own wooden shed. He brought hay and lit it. He wants to know what fire is. However, little Edison's first experiment led to a big fire, which destroyed the wooden shed at home.
(1) "Life is too short to do more with less time."
"Waste, the biggest waste is wasting time." Edison often said to his assistant. "Life is short, so we should try to do more with less time."
One day, Edison was working in the laboratory. He handed his assistant a pear-shaped empty glass bulb without a lampholder and said, "Measure the capacity of the bulb." He bowed his head to work again.
After a long time, he asked, "What's the capacity?" He didn't hear the answer, turned to see the assistant measuring the circumference and inclination of the light bulb with a soft ruler, and poured the measured figures on the table for calculation. Because the light bulb is pear-shaped, it is not the conventional status quo. Therefore, it is very difficult to calculate the circumference and inclination of the light bulb. He said, "Time, time, why does it take so much time?" Edison came over, picked up the empty light bulb, filled it with water, handed it to his assistant, and said, "Pour the water into the measuring cup and tell me its capacity at once."
The assistant read out the numbers at once.
Edison said, "How easy it is to measure. It is both accurate and time-saving. Why didn't you think of that? " ? Still counting. Isn't that a waste of time? "
The assistant's face turned red.
Edison murmured, "Life is too short, too short. Save time and do more! " "
Everyone here already knows me.
Edison was a poor worker before he became famous. Once, his old friend met him in the street and said with concern, "look, this coat on you is very worn." You should get a new one. "
"Need it to be? Nobody knows me in new york. " Edison answered indifferently.
A few years later, Edison became a great inventor.
One day, Edison met that friend again in the street of new york. "Oh," exclaimed my friend, "why are you still wearing this old coat? This time, I have to change a new one anyway! "
"Need it to be? Everyone here already knows me. " Edison still answered casually.
(3) Mom, I want to be a night sun.
One snowy night, Edison's mother suddenly fell ill, and his father hurried to call a doctor. The doctor said, "Your mother has acute appendicitis and needs surgery." . At that time, there were only oil lamps without electric lights, and the light of oil lamps was very dim, so if you were not careful, you would open the wrong knife. Edison suddenly had a good idea. He took out all the oil lamps at home and put a mirror behind him to let the doctor finish the operation smoothly. The doctor said, "Son, you saved your mother with your wisdom and cleverness." Edison took his mother's hand and said, "Mom, I want to be a sun at night."
Reference: Once, Edison's mother got appendicitis. As the family was poor, his mother asked the doctor to operate at home. The doctor agreed, but the room was too dark for the doctor to see clearly. Edison had a brainwave. He concentrated the light through the reflection of the mirror, and the room lit up at once, and his mother was saved!
(4) Why can hens hatch chicks and I can't?
Once, when it was time for dinner, Edison still didn't come back. My parents are worried and look around. It was not until the evening that I found him in the hut next to the yard. Seeing him lying motionless in the haystack with many eggs, his father asked very strangely, "What are you doing?" Little Edison replied unhurriedly, "I'm incubating chickens!" " "It turned out that he was surprised to see that hens could hatch chicks, and he always wanted to try it himself. At that time, his father pulled him up with anger and laughter and told others not to hatch chickens. On the way home, he asked doubtfully, "Why can hens hatch chicks and I can't?"? "
(5) What's the secret in the wild beehive?
Edison was often in danger because he was interested in many things. Once, he went to the house where wheat was stored and accidentally bumped into the wheat barn. Wheat can't move with his head buried. He almost died, but fortunately he was found in time, grabbed Edison's foot and pulled him out. Another time, he fell into the water and was pulled up like a drowned rat. He's scared himself. When he was 4 years old, he wanted to see what was in the wild beehive on the fence, so he stabbed it with a branch, and his face was so red and swollen that he could hardly open his eyes.