Thomas Edison for Kids: His Life and Ideas, 21 Activities
son yet no one book can tell all there is to know about him He left crates of notebooks filled with ideas and reflections as well as thousands of labora tory records Hundreds of newspaper and magazine stories were written about him while he was alive So many records exist that his papers have still not been completely studied by historians This book will describe what Thomas Edison's life was like some of his inventions and a few of his setbacks and successes The activities will give you an idea of the scientific concepts Edison was explor ing as he pushed his experiments on to success Edi son's success clearly began in his childhood Many of Edison's inventions are rooted in the lessons from his schoolbooks and from experiments he did in his boyhood lab in the basement of the family home His life was his work and it began while he was young studying what he saw around him and applying knowledge and effort to create things nobody had created
Time Line Alessandro Volta produces electricity from a cells 100 first battery of zinc and copper plates invented First practical steam locomotive constructed in England 184 Electromagnetism discovered by Hans Oerted in Denmark 1819 Samuel Morse's telegraph used for the first time 1844 Thomas Alva Edison is born on February 11 in Milan Ohio 187 Edison family moves to Port Huron Michigan 1854 Thomas Alva Edison begins selling candy on the train 1850 running between Port Huron and Detroit Michigan Civil War begins 1861 Edison works as a telegrapher 1863 Edison patents his first inventionan electrical vote recorder 186e Edison goes to New York City Transcontinental railroad 1869 completed at Promontory Utah Edison ivents a stock ticker machine and 1870 earns 40 000 for it Begins an invention business Thomas Alva Edison marries 18m Mary Stilwell on Christmas Day Edison perfects the duplex telegraph 1872 Marion Edison born the first child to Thomas Alva and Mary Edison Edison builds a research laboratory lane at Menlo Park New Jersey Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone Western Union Companyhires Edison to build commercial telephones Thomas Edison Jr the Edisons second child is born Edison invents the phonograph in William Leslie Edison is born Las
1870 Edison Ivents the first practical Incandescent lamp the light bulb It burns for more than 40 hours laso Edison discovers the Edison Etect the way electric waves move in space ISSA Mary Edison dies as Thomas Edison marries Mina Miller General Electric Company buys Edison stock pushes Edison out as Nikola Tesla invents the electric motor Madeleine Edison is born first child to A Thomas Alva and Mina Edison CG isse First moving picture shown in the West Orange lab with sound coming from a phonograph record 1890 Charles Edison is born to Thomas Alva and Mina Edison eas Edison builds first motion picture studio 19 Edison s first moving pictures shown in public 189s Wilhelm Roentgen discovers X rays a 1896 Edison perfects the ray fluoroscope for surgery 98 Theodore Edison is born Los Orville and Wilbur Wright successfully to a powered airplane 1917 United States officially enters World War I 1926 Edison retires His sons Charles and Theodore take over the Edison companies and laboratories 1928 Edison receives a congressional Medal of Honor 1929 Frtieth anniversary of Edison's invention of the light bulb Stock market crashes Great Depression begins 1931 Thomas Edison dies on October 18
