CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE Paper that a Breath Would Blow Away 4 CHAPTER TWO Becoming the Wizard of Menlo Park 12 CHAPTER THREE Subdividing the Light 20 CHAPTER FOUR Lighting Up the World 28 CHAPTER FIVE Bringing It to the Masses 36 Important Dates 42 Stop and Think 44 Glossary 46 Learn More 47 Index 48 About the Author 48
CHAPTER ONE PAPER THAT A BREATH WOULD BLOW AWAY By October 1879 the electric light had been Thomas Alva Edison’s obsession for months Day after day he worked in his laboratory The subject that occupied most of his thoughts was the filament This thin wire inside the light bulb glowed to create light Getting such a delicate object to burn brightly while also lasting a long time was a tough task indeed His earlier Edison and his assistants searched for a filament material that would burn bright and last for many hours 5
