Thomas A. Edison's photo

Thomas A. Edison

Born: 1847-02-11 in Milan, Ohio, USA

Died: 1931-10-18

Known For: Production

Biography

Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman who has been described as America's greatest inventor. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventions, which include the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and the long-lasting, practical electric light bulb, have had a widespread impact on the modern industrialized world. He was one of the first inventors to apply the principles of organized science and teamwork to the process of invention, working with many researchers and employees. He established the first industrial research laboratory. Edison was raised in the American Midwest; early in his career he worked as a telegraph operator, which inspired some of his earliest inventions. In 1876, he established his first laboratory facility in Menlo Park, New Jersey, where many of his early inventions were developed. He later established a botanic laboratory in Fort Myers, Florida in collaboration with businessmen Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone, and a laboratory in West Orange, New Jersey that featured the world's first film studio, the Black Maria. He was a prolific inventor, holding 1,093 US patents in his name, as well as patents in other countries. Edison married twice and fathered six children. He died in 1931 of the complications of diabetes.

Filmography

2026

2020

2019

2015

  • Edison as Himself (archive footage)

2011

2008

2005

2002

  • Naqoyqatsi as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

1998

1990

1982

1978

1972

1964

1955

1950

1942

1915

1914

1913

1912

1911

1910

1898

1897

1896

1894

1893

1891