Genius!

Thomas Edison is an American icon with an international presence. His inventions were marketed all over the world and Edison remains one of the best-known historical figures.

Edison was the quintessential American inventor in the era of Yankee ingenuity. He began his career in 1863, in the adolescence of the telegraph industry, when virtually the only source of electricity was primitive batteries putting out a low-voltage current. Before he died, in 1931, he had played a critical role in introducing the modern age of electricity. From his laboratories and workshops emanated thephonograph, the carbon-button transmitter for the telephone speaker and microphone, theincandescent lamp, a revolutionary generator of unprecedented efficiency, the first commercial electric light and power system, an experimental electric railroad, and key elements of motion-picture apparatus, as well as a host of other inventions.

Thomas Alva Edison was dubbed the "Wizard of Menlo Park" by a reporter after Edison created the industrial research laboratory, combining the process of invention and techniques of mass production. At the height of his most productive years, Thomas Edison held 1,097 U. S. patents in his name. He also held many patents in France, Germany and the United Kingdom.

At that same age, Edison’s teacher in a one-room schoolhouse became frustrated with his non-stop questions and rather disruptive behavior. Edison’s mother chose to homeschool him thereafter. As he became a voracious reader and exhibited a special interest in the sciences, his parents hired a tutor to assist him in understanding Physics.

Even as a youth he was very industrious, starting a fruit and vegetable business and even publishing a newspaper. He used his income to create a chemical lab. At the early age of 15,Thomas Edison was trained as a telegrapher and created his first invention, the automatic repeater. In 1868, he moved to Boston to work for the Western Union Company.