Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931) was a world-famous electrician and inventor in the United States of America. In addition to his inventions in phonographs, electric lights, telephones, telegraphs, movies, etc. In addition to inventions and contributions, there are also many famous creations and insights in mining, construction, chemical industry and other fields. Edison made about 2,000 inventions throughout his life, making great contributions to human civilization and progress.

Edison was also a great entrepreneur. He established the Edison General Electric Company in 1890, and its two main businesses formed the famous General Electric Company (GE).

Life

Edison was born on February 11, 1847, in the small town of Milan, Ohio, in the midwestern United States of America. His father is of Dutch descent, and his mother worked as a primary school teacher and is of Scottish descent. When Edison was 7 years old, his father lost money in his roofing business, so he moved the family to Fort Gratiot in the northern suburbs of Huron, Michigan. Shortly after moving here, Edison contracted scarlet fever and remained ill for a long time. The disease was believed to be the cause of his deafness. Edison went to school at the age of 8, but after only three months of studying, he was dismissed by the teacher as an "imbecile" and kicked out of school. From then on, his mother was his "home tutor". Because of his mother's good education methods, he developed a strong interest in reading. "He not only read a lot of books, but he also read ten lines at a glance and could recite them after reading them." When he was 8 years old, he read the works of William Shakespeare, the most important playwright of the English Renaissance, Dickens, and many important historical books. By the age of 9, he could quickly read more difficult books, such as Parker's " Natural and Experimental Philosophy. I loved chemistry when I was 10 years old. At the age of 11, he experimented with his first telegraph. To earn money to buy chemicals and equipment, he started working. When he was 12 years old, he got a job selling newspapers on the train, traveling between Port Huron and Detroit, Michigan. While selling newspapers, he also runs a fruit and vegetable business. Whenever he has time, he goes to the library to read. He bought an old printing press and started publishing his own weekly magazine, the Herald. The first issue of the magazine was printed on the train. He used the money he earned to build a chemistry laboratory on a luggage cart. Unfortunately there was a chemical fire and he was thrown out of the car along with his equipment. Another time, when Edison was trying to board a freight train, a conductor grabbed his ears to help him get on. This action resulted in Edison becoming permanently deaf.

In August 1862, Edison used fearless heroism to rescue a boy who was about to be killed on the train tracks. The child's father was grateful for this, but since he had no money to repay him, he was willing to teach him telegraph skills. From then on, Edison became involved with this mysterious new world of electricity and embarked on a scientific journey.

In 1863, Edison served as a telegraph operator at the Stratford Junction Station of the Grand Trunk Railway. From 1864 to 1867, he worked as a telegraph operator throughout the Midwest and lived a wandering life. Travel destinations include Stratford, Adrian, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Nashville, Tennessee, Memphis, Louisville, Huron and other places.

In 1868, Edison came to Boston as a telegraph operator. In the same year, he obtained his first invention patent. This is a device that automatically records votes. Edison thought the device would speed up the work of Congress and that it would be welcomed. However, one MP told him that they had no intention of speeding up the agenda and that sometimes voting slowly was politically necessary. From then on, Edison decided not to make any inventions that people didn't need.

In early June 1869, he came to New York to look for work. While he was waiting to be summoned at a broker's office, a telegraph machine broke down.

Edison was the only one there who could fix the telegraph, and he got a better job than he expected. In October, he and Pope jointly established a "Pop-Edison Company" to specialize in scientific instruments for electrical engineering. Here, he invented the "Edison Printing Press." He dedicated the printing press to the manager of a large Wall Street company. He wanted to ask for $5,000, but he lacked the courage to say it. So he asked the manager to give him a price, and the manager gave him $40,000.

Edison used the money to build a factory on Ward Street in Newark, New Jersey, specializing in manufacturing various electrical machinery. He worked all night long. He trained many capable assistants, and at the same time, he also happened to meet the diligent Mary (Mary Stilwell), his future first bride. In Newark, he made inventions such as wax paper and mimeograph machines. From 1872 to 1875, Edison invented the double and quadruple telegraph machines, and helped others build the world's first English typewriter.

In the spring of 1876, Edison moved again, this time to "Menlo Park" in New Jersey. Here he built the first "invention factory", which "marked the beginning of collective research." In 1877, Edison improved the telephone invented by Bell earlier and put it into practical use. He also invented one of his pet projects - the phonograph. The telephone and the telegraph "were a revolution that expanded human sensory functions"; the phonograph was one of the three great inventions that changed people's lives. "From the perspective of his inventive imagination, this was his most significant inventive achievement." By this time, he was known as "The Magician of Menlo Park."

While inventing the phonograph, Edison finally made a breakthrough in the research on electric lights after numerous failures. On October 22, 1879, Edison ignited the first electric light with widespread practical value. In order to extend the life of the filament, he tried again and tried more than 6,000 fiber materials before he found a new luminous body - Japanese bamboo filament, which can last for more than 1,000 hours, achieving the purpose of durability. In a way, this invention was the pinnacle achievement of Edison's life. He then created a power supply system that allowed distant lamps to distribute power from a central power station, a major technological achievement.

His first purely scientific discovery appeared in 1883. While experimenting with electric lamps, he observed what he called the Edison effect: a charge inside a lit bulb traveling from a hot filament through space to a cold plate. Edison patented his discovery in 1884 but did not pursue further research. Other scientists used the Edison effect to develop the electronics industry, especially radio and television.

Edison also attempted to do for the eyes what the phonograph had done for the ears, and this is where the movie camera came into being. Using a strip of George Eastman's newly invented celluloid film, he took a series of photographs and projected them onto a screen in rapid succession, creating the illusion of movement. He first experimented with film in the laboratory in 1889 and applied for a patent in 1891. In 1903, his company produced its first feature film, "The Train Robbery." Edison did much to organize and standardize the motion picture industry.

After Edison moved his laboratory to West Orange in 1887, he founded many commercial companies to manufacture and market his many inventions; these companies later merged into Edison General Electric Company, later known as General Electric Company. Thereafter, his interests turned to fluoroscopy, ore crushers, magnetic separation of iron, batteries and railway signaling devices.

During World War I, he developed torpedo mechanisms, flamethrowers and underwater periscopes.

On October 21, 1929, on the 50th anniversary of the invention of the electric light, people held a grand celebration for Edison. Albert Einstein of the German Federal Republic and France* Famous scientists such as Marie Curie of Japan and China congratulated him one after another. Unfortunately, at this celebration, when Edison was giving a speech, he suddenly fainted due to excessive excitement. From then on, his health deteriorated. On October 18, 1931, this scientist who had made great contributions to mankind died of illness at the age of 84.

Edison’s education level is extremely low, but his contribution to mankind is so huge. What is the “secret” here? In addition to having a curious heart and an instinct for personal experimentation, he also has infinite energy and determination to work hard that are beyond ordinary people. When someone called Edison a "genius", he explained: "Genius is two percent inspiration and ninety-eight percent perspiration." In his "invention factory", he organized people from many different professions There are more than 100 scientists, engineers, technicians, and workers inside. Many of Edison's major inventions relied on the strength of this collective to achieve success. His achievements are mainly due to his hard work, creative talent and collective strength. In addition, his wife also played a very important role.

Chronology of Edison's inventions:

On October 11, 1868, he invented the "voting counter" and obtained his first patent.

In October 1869, he co-founded the "Pop-Edison Company" with friends.

Invented the general-purpose printing press in 1870 and sold the patent rights for US$40,000. Set up its own manufacturing plant in New York.

From 1872 to 1876, he invented the electric telegraph, the automatic repeater telegraph method, the double and quadruple telegraph methods, and manufactured wax paper carbon resistors.

The acoustic wave analysis resonator was invented in 1875.

In 1876, a laboratory was established in Menlo Park, New Jersey - the first industrial research laboratory. It was the origin of the modern concept of a "study group." Invented the carbon rod microphone. Apply for a patent for the telegraph automatic recording machine.

In 1877, the early telephone invented by Bell was improved and put into practical use in Menlo Park. Obtained three patents: perforated pen, pneumatic stylus and ordinary stylus. On August 20th, what proved to be one of Edison's favorite projects - the phonograph - was invented.

In 1878, Edison claimed to solve the problem of electric lighting. The Royal Society holds a gramophone exhibition. Improved phonographs, designed microphones, amplifiers, aerial speakers, sound engines, tuning engines, microthermometers, taste testers, etc. Obtained patent for phonograph on February 19th. In July, he went to Wyoming with Professor Parker of the University of Pennsylvania to observe the total solar eclipse, and used the thermometer he invented to measure the overall temperature around the sun. Returned to Menlo Park in August and returned to scientific research and experiments. Britain approves Edison's patent application for "Video Recorder". William Wallace visited Connecticut in September. Started research into inventing the electric light. On October 5, a patent application for a platinum wire "electric lamp" was filed.

In 1879-1880, after thousands of setbacks, the high-resistance incandescent lamp was invented. Improved generator. Design new current distribution methods, circuit alignment and calculation methods. Invented the light bulb holder and switch. Invented the magnetic mineral separation method.

On August 30, 1879, Edison and Bell each demonstrated telephone devices at Saratoga Creek City Hall. Edison's phone turned out to be clearer than Bell's. On October 21, the high-resistance incandescent lamp was invented, which burned continuously for 40 hours. Application for carbon filament lamp patent on November 1st. On December 21, the New York Express reported on Edison's incandescent light bulb. A public light show was held in Menlo Park on December 25 for 3,000 visitors from New York City.

Helicopter research in 1880. Obtained patent rights for electric light invention. Made into a magnetic screener. On January 28, the patent document for "Electric Power Transmission and Distribution System" was submitted. On February 18, "Scribe's Monthly" published the article "Edison's Electric Light", officially announcing the invention of the electric light. In May, the first ship "Columbia" illuminated by electric lights successfully made its trial voyage.

New York Edison Electric Lighting Company was established in December.

1881 New York Fifth Avenue headquarters established. An incandescent lamp factory is established in New York City. Set up manufacturing plants for generators, underground wires, and electric light parts. Experimenting with trolleys in Menlo Park.

The three-wire current distribution system was invented in 1882. Applied for 141 patents. The first central factory was established on September 4. At the end of December, more than 150 small power stations were established across the United States of America.

A patent for wireless telegraphy was filed on May 23, 1885.

From 1887 to 1890, he improved the cylindrical phonograph and obtained more than 80 patent rights for phonographs. Engaged in manufacturing and selling phonographs, records, talking machines, etc.

The phonograph gramophone was invented in 1888.

Participated in the Centennial Exposition in Paris in 1889. Invented many types of electric railways. Complete the moving movie machine.

1890-1899 Designed large stone crushers and grinders. Personally directed the large-scale development of iron ore using new methods at the Ogden Mine.

In 1891, he invented the "Edison Concentrator" and began to operate his own mining business. Obtained the patent for "Kinet Cinema Projector". The first successful movable motion picture telescope was demonstrated to the public on May 20 at the Edison Laboratory in West Orange, New Jersey.

In 1893, the world's first movie "studio" was built in the courtyard of Edison's laboratory.

On April 14, 1894, the first kinetoscope theater was opened in New York.

On April 23, 1896, the "Vita Projector" was used for the first time to show a film at Coster-Beyer's Music Hall in New York, and it was warmly welcomed by the public.

In 1902, a test using a new type of battery for vehicle power was successful. The range was 5,000 miles and it could travel 100 miles per charge.

In 1903, Edison's company produced its first feature film, "Train Robbery."

In 1909, after ten years of research, the battery was finally successful. Make a fax telegram. Obtained design patents for raw material machine, fine grinding machine and long kiln.

From 1910 to 1914, the disc-type phonograph was completed, with damage-free records and diamond records. Completed talkie machine.

The "disk record" was invented in 1910.

The "talkie" was invented in 1912. Developed into a speech phonograph.

In 1914-1915, the comprehensive manufacturing method of carbolic acid was invented, and a phonograph and a telegraph machine were combined into a remote writing machine. One party's telephone could automatically record the other party's speech. Manufacture benzene, indigo oil, etc. by ourselves.

39 inventions were completed from 1915 to 1918, the most famous of which are torpedo mechanical devices, flamethrowers and underwater periscopes.

Completed long-term recording in 1927.

In 1928, rubber was successfully extracted from wild grasses.

The King of Invention Edison

Curious Nature

Edison is the world-famous "King of Inventions". He invented about two thousand things in his life, such as phonographs, electric lights, movies, batteries, etc. Edison's contribution to mankind is great! In the history of world scientific development, his name is like a bright star, always shining brightly.

On February 11, 1847, Edison was born in Milan, Ohio, USA.

When he was a child, he was relatively thin and did not like to talk. He was very quiet, loved to use his brain and think about problems, and was always full of curiosity about everything happening around him. He often sat alone by the crossroads in the village, watching how the big elm trees sprouted green buds, and how the autumn wind dyed the maple leaves red. He also thought for a long time: Why does the sun always rise slowly from the east in the morning and hide behind the mountains in the west in the evening? Why are there white clouds floating in the blue sky...

When he was 5 years old, one day, Edison suddenly disappeared. Dad looked around anxiously, and finally found him squatting in the chicken coop!

"What are you doing here?" Dad asked strangely.

"I'm hatching chicks." Edison answered seriously. It turned out that the day before, he saw a hen lying on an egg and hatched a chick, so he wanted to try it himself to see if he could hatch a chick.

Dad pulled him up angrily and funny, and said to him: "Silly boy! You can't hatch chicks! Let's go!"

Little Edison wrinkled He frowned and asked dissatisfied: "Why can't I hatch chicks, but a hen can?"

Edison was such a curious child. He wanted to know everything and wanted to try everything himself. try.

Another time, he found a wild nest on the garden fence. Ah, what's the mystery here? He cautiously looked inside, and it seemed that Feng'er wasn't at home. What a great opportunity! He thought: Today I want to see what is inside the wild honeycomb. He picked up a stick and stabbed it inside. This is bad! A swarm of wild bees flew out of the nest with a buzzing sound and rushed towards him. Suddenly, Edison's face swelled as much as bread, and he dropped the stick and ran away in pain.

He often went to nearby sawmills and shipyards, and was particularly interested in the various tools there. He always liked to pester the master workers and ask questions. Sometimes, others could not answer the questions, so they had to say, " have no idea". He didn't give up and asked, "Why don't you know?" Edison was such a child.

When Edison was 7 years old, his family moved to Port Huron, Michigan. There he went to school.

At that time, the school only offered three courses: reading, writing, and arithmetic. In class, the teacher's lectures were boring, but he often punished students with wooden boards. However, Edison likes to break the casserole and ask questions. He often asks the teacher to be speechless and speechless. The teacher became angry and often called him a "fool" in public.

Edison couldn't bear the insult. He returned home with tears in his eyes, told his mother about his grievances, and said he would never enter the school gate again.

His mother had been a teacher and knew education methods better. She sympathized with her son's situation and said angrily: "Teachers can't treat students like this!" She took her son's hand, found the school, blamed the teacher and said: "You can't teach such students well. It shows that you are incompetent! I want to educate him myself and show you what kind of person he can become!" In anger, his mother dropped out of school. From then on, Edison left school.

When he got home, his mother called him by his nickname and said to him seriously: "Tom, from now on, I will teach you to read. Are you determined to learn well?"

Mother's words deeply touched Edison's heart. With a rare serious expression, he replied: "Mom, don't worry! I will study hard and make a career in the world when I grow up!"

Edison was very diligent and studious. With his mother's specific guidance and patient help, he carefully studied English, arithmetic, chemistry, geography, history... Among them, chemistry was the most attractive to him. He tried every means to find chemistry books and spent all his pocket money to buy experimental equipment and medicines.

The cellar of his home became his "laboratory". On his homemade wooden shelf, there are more than 200 bottles containing various medicines. Every day after he finished his lessons at his mother's place, he quickly ran into the cellar to do his beloved experiments. This was the happiest thing for Edison.

One day, Edison looked up and saw birds flying freely in the sky, so an idea came to his mind: Birds can fly, why can't people fly? Can you think of a way to let people fly into the sky? He was thinking and suddenly thought: If a person's body was filled with gas, wouldn't it also rise to the sky like a balloon? After careful observation, Edison discovered that there was a kind of medicinal powder that could produce gas. He was so happy that he mobilized his friend Mijili to do an experiment. Edison gave Midgily a large dose of medicinal powder to drink. After a while, Midgily was rolling on the ground with stomachache, crying loudly, which alarmed the whole family. After asking about the situation, Mom and Dad were very panicked and quickly called a doctor to save Midgily's life. Dad was so angry that he whipped Edison hard with a wicker whip. But while Edison was being beaten, he was still thinking: "Midgery has already passed the test halfway, but he refuses to bear it, what a pity!"

Edison's recklessness made his mother very angry. She thought, these chemicals Most of the medicines are poisonous. If you eat them casually, your life will be in danger. Little Tom is so ridiculous! So, she angrily scolded: "You are not allowed to use this cellar anymore, and you are not allowed to conduct experiments anymore." Edison was so anxious that he almost cried. He felt that he had done something wrong and was afraid that his mother would really not allow him to do the experiment, so he begged his mother bitterly: "If I don't do the experiment, how can I study knowledge? How can I make a career?"

After hearing what her son said, the mother couldn't help but be secretly surprised. It turns out that the child's vow was not just said casually, it was an ambition engraved in his heart. Mom withdrew the ban, and Edison's first chemistry laboratory existed.

Special Laboratory

When Edison was 12 years old, the newly built railroad from Huron to Detroit was opened to traffic. He didn't want his parents to increase expenses for his experiment, so he decided to sell newspapers on the train to earn some money to supplement the family income.

Edison was selling newspapers and reading at the same time. He goes out at seven o'clock every morning and comes home at half past nine in the evening.

The train had to stop in Detroit for several hours, so he took advantage of the opportunity to go to the city's largest library to read, rain or shine, never stopping.

One day, a gentleman suddenly asked him: "I often see you in the library, how many books have you read?"

"I have read 15 feet of books." "

After hearing this strange answer, the gentleman laughed and asked seriously: "What is the content of the book you just read and the book you are holding now? Completely different, what is the purpose of your reading?"

Edison didn't understand the meaning of the question. He said: "I read it in the order on the bookshelf. I want to read all the books in the library. Read all the books one by one!"

The gentleman was even more surprised. He said: "Oh! Your ambition is so great! However, if you read without a purpose, the effect will be useless. It will be great. I hope you will choose a goal first, and then you will gain something by working towards it."

This accidental conversation inspired Edison a lot, and it also had a great influence on his reading, study and life. Growth has very profound guiding significance.

On the train, Edison had some free time besides selling newspapers. He didn't want to let time pass in vain, so he asked the old captain to borrow a corner of the luggage cart for experiments. Although the old captain had a bad temper, he was kind-hearted. He agreed to the young man's earnest request. Edison was so happy that he brought many chemicals and equipment. As a result, this small luggage car quickly became the world's first train laboratory.

Suddenly, disaster struck.

That day, the train was running very fast on the uneven track, causing the carriage to sway from side to side. There was only a "bang" sound, and a bottle of white phosphorus was knocked to the ground. White phosphorus is a chemical element with two peculiar properties: First, it is easily oxidized. When it encounters air, it combines with the oxygen in the air and generates heat immediately, causing the temperature to continue to rise. Second, it has a low ignition point, which means that the temperature at which it can catch fire is very low, about 50 degrees Celsius, and it will burn by itself. Therefore, when the bottle of white phosphorus was knocked to the ground, it immediately caught fire, and the small laboratory was filled with fireworks. Edison saw that the situation was not good, so he quickly took off his coat, beat it hard, and shouted: "Fight the fire! Fight the fire!"

After hearing the news, the old car captain and the workers rushed over and did not bother to find out the cause of the fire. , quickly put out the fire. After a struggle, the fire was finally put out. However, the old conductor was furious. He raised his voice, scolded Edison, and slapped him hard several times. At that time, Edison only felt a "buzzing" and his ears could not hear anything. It turned out that his right eardrum was shattered. The future inventor paid the price of an ear for his beloved experiment.

The unfortunate encounter did not make Edison unable to recover. He couldn't do the experiment on the train, so he planned to do it back home after selling the newspaper. By this time, his interest had shifted to electricity.

Edison teamed up with a neighbor's kid to install a simple transceiver. They set up bamboo poles between the two houses, pulled up iron wires as wires, and found some glass bottles as insulators. The two children often practiced from night to late at night, and sometimes until early morning.

It was a coincidence that shortly after the fire in the carriage, Edison suddenly got a good opportunity to learn electricity. What happened is this:

In August 1862, one morning, Edison was selling newspapers at a small station. Looking up suddenly, he saw a three or four-year-old boy squatting beside the railway track and playing with stones. A freight train was speeding towards him. Edison said "Oh!", threw down the newspaper, rushed down the platform desperately, and snatched the child out. At this time, the train whizzed past his ears. How dangerous! Edison fell to the railroad tracks while holding the little boy. His face and hands were cut, but the child was saved.

The little boy’s father is called McKenzie, and he is the webmaster of this station. He is an excellent telegraph operator. McKenzie saw this thrilling scene with his own eyes and was so moved that he could not speak coherently: "Thank you... thank you, thank you for saving... saving my child!"

But Edison didn't care. Smiling, he picked up the newspaper from the ground, patted the dust off his body, boarded the train and left.

The next day, when Edison's train entered the station, McKenzie was already waiting on the platform.

He said to Edison very sincerely: "I have nothing to reward you. I heard that you are very interested in telegraphy. If you are willing, I can teach you the technology of sending and receiving telegraphs and make you a telegraph operator." These words It's right in the heart of little Edison. He happily accepted McKenzie's kindness and followed him to learn the technology of sending and receiving telegraphs.

Edison was very attentive in his studies and made rapid progress. In just three months, he was already very proficient in sending and receiving telegraphs. McKenzie recommended him to work as a telegraph operator at the train station. This unexpected learning opportunity laid a good foundation for Edison's future great inventions. Base.

Exploring knowledge

During the five years between the ages of 16 and 21, Edison was forced to leave his hometown and wander around in order to find a job, often living a life of hunger and cold. However, as long as he had a little extra money, he would immediately buy books and experimental supplies.

Once, Edison was working as a night telegraph operator in a city in the south of the United States. During the day, he bought dozens of books in a used bookstore and planned to take them home after get off work.

In the early morning, at three or four o'clock, Edison came home from get off work. He walked with his head down carrying a heavy bag of books. The police patrolling at night saw him from a distance carrying a big bag and walking in a hurry. They suspected that he was a thief and shouted to him to stop. But because Edison was deaf, he didn't hear at all and was still rushing on his way. The police mistakenly thought that he was about to run away, so they raised their guns and fired. It was not until the whistling bullets passed by his ears that he stopped and immediately fell down. At this time, the police came and caught him.

After cross-examination, the police found out that he was deaf. When I opened the package again, I saw that it was full of old books. The policeman said: "My child, you are lucky! If my shooting skills were accurate, you would have lost your life in vain!"

In the early winter of 1868, Edison was introduced by a friend to the west of Boston. Operator for the United Telegraph Company. The reporting work here is very busy, and telegrams are often backlogged in large stacks and cannot be sent out in time. Edison thought: If two telegrams could be sent simultaneously on one line, wouldn't the efficiency be doubled? However, he tried many times without success. Once, he received financial support from the company manager, so he studied this method of double reporting day and night.

How stressful is his life! I only sleep four hours a day and spend the rest of my time working. One night, he bought a copy of "The Complete Works of Faraday." As soon as he got off work at night, he couldn't put it down and read it from midnight until the next morning. A friend in the same room asked him: "Aren't you hungry?" Edison looked up, shook his head and said, "Life is too short, there are so many things to do, how can I not race against time!"

Faraday's works opened Edison's horizons and gave him extremely rich knowledge about electricity. He once told people that this was the book from which he learned the most. From then on, his enthusiasm for experiments became even greater. Finally, when the spring snow had not completely melted, he succeeded in making a dual transmitter. Edison's name began to appear in newspapers.

A poor life

One day in 1869, Edison took a steamboat to New York and wanted to find a career. He was penniless, and his first breakfast in New York was a cup of black tea begged for.

After running around for a day, he finally found a friend, borrowed one yuan, and got a place to rest. A friend introduced him to stay overnight in the machine room of the gold exchange. Place a few burlap bags in the corner of the machine room. This is Edison's bed.

There is an electric gold price marking machine in the exchange, which can automatically display the local gold price at that time. The hub of the marking machine is in this room. Edison became very interested in it, and he studied the machine carefully every day.

Time flies so fast. In the blink of an eye, it has been three days since he arrived in New York and he has not found a job yet. He had no choice but to sit quietly in the corner of the machine room every day, watching the movements of the machines.

At that time, the American financial world was in great chaos. The rise and fall of gold prices could directly control the city's prices. Therefore, the gold price marking machine naturally became the center of people's attention. It just so happened that at this juncture, the gold price indicator broke. Communications reporting on the gold price were cut off. Suddenly, crowds of people rushed to the door of the exchange, shouting and cursing. The technicians who managed the machines were so frightened that they didn’t even know where the fault was. The manager, Ross, was so anxious that he was jumping around.

At this time, the smart Edison was observing calmly. He had already seen the problem, so he interrupted and said: "A contact spring in the machine broke and fell between the two gears."

< p>Rouse heard someone found out the reason. Although he did not know Edison, he quickly said: "Install it! Install it! Hurry!"

Edison quickly disassembled the machine and pressed the spur gear , take out the broken spring. He was busy for two full hours, and the machine was running normally again.

Rouse was very grateful to Edison. After he inquired about Edison's origins, he immediately conducted a rigorous examination on Edison next to a pile of chemistry and physics books. Rouse admired this young man and found that he not only knew the structure of the machine well, but also thought of many ways to improve it. Rolls decided to hire Edison to be responsible for managing all the technical work of the machine, with a monthly salary of 300 yuan. Edison was overjoyed because he had never made so much money. From then on, he was able to buy more books and experimental supplies. Moreover, this job can further develop your talents. Later, Edison invented a new type of business information machine, and the reward was $40,000. Edison was not tempted by money to live a life of debauchery. He used all the money to open a factory and devoted himself to invention work.

The inventor's career made Edison even harder. He often worked day and night. He once said to others: "Sleep is the biggest obstacle to research work. Everyone will die anyway, and they can sleep forever after death, so there is no need to sleep more while alive. You should do more work while alive."

Inventing the Phonograph

As the years went by, Edison's inventions gradually expanded, and in 1876 he founded the Menlo Park Research Institute. Some major inventions such as carbon telephones, phonographs, electric lights... were all successfully researched by him in this institute.

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