Biographical Essays

Explore Edison’s boyhood in Milan and Port Huron, his years as an itinerant telegrapher in the 1860s and his first experiences as an inventor in Boston, New York and Newark, where he introduced improved stock tickers, new telegraph systems and the electric pen, his first invention sold directly to consumers. Thanks to Rutgers Public History intern Ammi Gonzales for her help editing links and PDF files for this essay.

Edison’s experience as a reliable telegraph inventor and the support of telegraph industry leaders gave him the resources to open his first R&D lab at Menlo Park, New Jersey, where he vowed to turn out a minor invention every six weeks and a major invention every six months. Thanks to Rutgers Public History intern Ammi Gonzales for her help editing links and PDF files for this essay.

Edison’s 1877 invention of the tinfoil phonograph, the first machine that could record and reproduce sound, astonished the world and made him an international celebrity.

Edison did more than invent a practical incandescent electric lamp at Menlo Park; he introduced an entire system of electric lighting. From his first central stations in London and New York’s Pearl Street to his display at the 1889 Paris Exposition, Edison’s companies pioneered the electric utility industry. Thanks to Rutgers Public History intern Ammi Gonzales for her help editing links and PDF files for this essay.

Edison kept busy during World War I. He became a vocal proponent of military preparedness, faced the challenges of rebuilding his West Orange factory after a disastrous fire, chaired the Naval Consulting Board and conducted research aimed at helping the U.S. Navy respond to submarine warfare.

The 1880s were years of transition for Edison - the death of his first wife Mary, the purchase of his Fort Myers, Florida, winter home, his marriage to Mina Miller and his move to West Orange. Explore these events, Edison’s relationship with his family and the construction of the West Orange laboratory. Thanks to Rutgers Public History intern Ammi Gonzales for her help editing links and PDF files for this essay.