Thomas Edison Facts For Kids – Thomas Edison Biography For Kids

We all know Thomas Edison for his invention “Bulb”. He invented more than a thousand inventions in the field of electric power generation, sound recording, motion pictures, and mass communication. Here we have gathered a complete set of Thomas Edison Facts For Kids that will help you in learning all about Thomas Edison. You are going to learn who he was, why he is famous, his significance, contributions, birth, childhood, early life, education, work, wealth, inventions, experiments, discoveries, accomplishments, awards, family, friends, hobbies, death, and many interesting facts about Thomas Edison. This is a complete Thomas Edison Biography For Kids

Thomas Edison Facts For Kids

1. Thomas Edison Full Name

• The full name of Thomas Edison was “Thomas Alva Edison”.

2. Who Is Thomas Edison – Who Is Thomas Alva Edison

• Thomas Edison or Thomas Alva Edison was an American businessman and famous inventor.
• He has been described as the greatest inventor of America for his invention of the phonograph, motion the picture camera, and the electric bulb.

3. What Is Thomas Edison Famous For

• Thomas Edison is famous for his work in many fields like electric power generation, mass communication, motion pictures, and sound recording.
• Mostly, he is remembered for his invention of the electric light bulb, motion the picture camera, and his phonograph.

4. Thomas Edison Significance

• Throughout his 84 years of life, Thomas Edison obtained a significant number of 1,093 patents (individually or jointly) for his inventions.
• It was Thomas Edison who built the world’s first industrial research lab.
• His inventions like the long-lasting electric light bulb, motion the picture camera, and phonograph greatly influenced human life all around the world.
• Today, he is credited for his contribution to improving the economy of America during the Industrial Revolution.

5. Thomas Edison Contribution To Science

• Thomas Edison has many contributions to science, some of which are:
  • The quadruplex telegraph invented by Thomas Edison was the most reliable and fastest communication means in the earlier years of the 19th century.
  • In 1876, Thomas Edison established an industrial research laboratory, the Menlo Park Laboratory, which is considered his major innovation in the field of science.
  • He invented the phonograph in 1877, which initiated the era of sound recording and was publicly considered magical at that time.
  • In 1879, he invented the first electric light bulb, which is his most famous invention.
  • He improved the electricity-producing generators and also improved batteries that store electricity.
  • In 1886, the carbon telephone transmitter of Thomas Edison improved the microphone of the Bell Telephone.
  • Thomas Edison was the inventor of the first practical fluoroscope, the machine that utilizes X-rays for taking radiographs.
  • Thomas Edison helped in the development of “Kinetograph”, a motion picture camera, while much of the work was done by his employ W. K. L. Dickson. In 1891, Edison also invented a “Kinetoscope”, which is also called a peephole viewer. Via these devices, he played a key part in the development of motion pictures.

6. Where Was Thomas Edison Born – Thomas Edison’s Birthplace

• The birthplace of Thomas Edison was the Milan village in the Ohio state of the United States.

7. When Was Thomas Edison Born – Thomas Edison Birthday

• The date of birth of Thomas Edison was February 11, 1847.

8. What Year Was Thomas Edison Born

• Thomas Edison was born in the year of 1847.

9. Was Thomas Edison American – Thomas Edison Nationality

• Yes, Thomas Edison was of American nationality as he was born in the Ohio state of America.

10. Thomas Edison Childhood – Thomas Edison Childhood Facts

• Thomas Edison was born in the Milan village of the Ohio state in the USA.
• He was the last and seventh child of his parents, Samuel Ogden and Nancy Mathews.
• At an early age, he developed deafness (hearing problems).
• In 1854, his family moved to Port Huron city of Michigan state.
• Thomas Edison abandoned school a few months later attending and was homeschooled by his mother.
• Only at the age of 13, he sold newspapers and candies on railroads and trains that were running from Port Huron to Detroit.

11. Thomas Edison Early Life – Thomas Edison Early Life Facts

• Thomas Edison was seven years old when his family moved from Ohio to Michigan.
• He developed hearing problems during his early ages.
• He was a curious child and always spent much of his free time reading technical and scientific books.
• In his early life, Thomas Edison was enterprising and sold vegetables.
• He also sold newspapers and candies in trains and on railroads only at the age of 13.
• At that time, he saved the life of a 3 years old child, Jimmie Mackenzie, from being struck by a running train.
• The child’s father was so thankful to Edison that he trained him on how to operate a telegraph.
• At the age of sixteen, he was skilled enough to work as a full-time telegrapher.

12. Thomas Edison Hometown

• Thomas Edison was born in the Milan village, which came in the Erie and Huron counties, of the U.S. state Ohio.
• He then grew up in the Port Huron city of Michigan state.

13. Where Did Thomas Edison Grew Up

• Thomas Edison grew up in the Port Huron city of Michigan state.

14. Where Did Thomas Edison Live

• Thomas Edison lived in several places.
• He was born in the Ohio state of the USA.
• He then moved along with his family to Michigan.
• He also lived in the Edison township in New Jersey, and Manhattan, New York.

15. Thomas Edison Education

• Thomas Edison went to school for only a few months.
• He was homeschooled by his mother, who taught him reading, writing, and arithmetics.
• His father also had a library at home and encouraged him to read and learn by himself.
• He got much of his education by self-reading the School of Natural Philosophy, a scientific textbook by R. G. Paker, and The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Arts.

16. Did Thomas Edison Go To School

• Yes, Thomas Edison attended school in 1854, but only for a total of 12 weeks.

17. Where Did Thomas Edison Go To School – Thomas Edison School

• Thomas Edison attended a public school in Port Huron, Michigan.

18. Was Thomas Edison Kicked Out Of School

• Thomas Edison was pulled out from school by his mother because his teachers’ opinion was not good about him.

19. What College Did Thomas Edison Go To – Thomas Edison College

• Thomas Edison did not attend any college.

20. Thomas Edison Note From Teacher

• The teacher of Thomas Edison wrote a letter to his mother, in which it was written:

“Your son is addled (mentally ill). We won’t let him come to school anymore”.

21. Thomas Edison Occupation

• Thomas Edison was an inventor and a leading businessman.

22. Where Did Thomas Edison Work

• When Edison was selling newspapers on the railroad, he became successful in setting up a small laboratory in a train baggage car where he performed chemical experiments. However, he was kicked off his job when one night he spilled a chemical onto the floor that caught fire, while he was working with a lead-acid battery.
• Thomas Edison established the first industrial research laboratory of the world in Menlo Park, New Jersey, where he did some of his most famous works.

23. How Much Money Did Thomas Edison Make – How Rich Was Thomas Edison

• At his death time, the net worth of Thomas Edison was $12 million, which was equivalent to the modern-day $170 million.

24. Did Thomas Edison Invent The Telegraph

• No, Thomas Edison did not invent the telegraph.
• Electric Telegraph was developed by Samuel Morse and other inventors in 1937, about 10 years before the birth of Thomas Edison.

25. How Many Inventions Did Thomas Edison Make

• Thomas Edison obtained 1,093 patents (singly or jointly) throughout his life.
• Out of 1,093 patents, 389 were for power and electric light, 195 were for the phonographs, 150 were for the telegraph, 141 were for the power storage batteries, and 34 patents were for the telephone.

26. What Did Thomas Edison Invent – Thomas Edison Inventions For Kids 

The following is the Thomas Edison inventions list:

27. Thomas Edison First Invention

• The first invention of Thomas Edison was an automatic vote recorder, which he invented in 1868.

28. Thomas Edison Last Invention

• The invention of the first kinetophone, or the talking motion picture, in 1912-1913 was possibly the last major invention of Thomas Edison.

29. Thomas Edison Most Famous Invention

• The incandescent electric light bulb is the most famous invention of Thomas Edison.

30. Where Did Thomas Edison Invent The Light Bulb

• Thomas Edison invented the light bulb in his Menlo Park industrial research laboratory.

31. Thomas Edison Experiments

• Thomas Edison began conducting experiments from the time he was working as a newsboy in trains and railroads.
• He made a chemical laboratory at home where he collected chemicals and conducted experiments.
• He established the first industrial research laboratory in the world where he conducted experiments and invent some of his famous inventions.
• In inventing the light bulb, he performed about 1,000 unsuccessful attempts.

32. What Did Thomas Edison Discover

• There is a large number of Thomas Edison’s discoveries, some of which are:
• In 1875, Thomas Edison discovered “Etheric Force”.
• He discovered a successful way of making an incandescent light bulb in 1879, which is his well-known discovery.
• He discovered a complete system of electric current distribution, regulation, and measurement.
• In 1880, he discovered the fundamental principle of electronics known as the “Edison Effect”.
• In 1885, he discovered a wireless telegraph system that was working between running trains and stations.

33. Thomas Edison Accomplishments

• Some of the major accomplishments of Thomas Edison are:
  • The development of one of the world’s earliest stock ticker machines
  • The invention of the Quadruplex telegraph could be sent four messages at once
  • The establishment of the world’s first industrial-scale research laboratory
  • The invention of the incandescent light bulb
  • The invention of the phonograph
  • The invention of the first practical fluoroscope
  • Development of the kinetoscope and kinetograph
  • Development of the motion picture and the establishment of the first film production studio of the world
  • The development of the carbon microphone

34. Did Thomas Edison Win Any Awards – Thomas Edison Awards

• The following is the list of the awards Thomas Edison won:

35. Thomas Edison’s Family

• The early family of Thomas Edison included his parents and six siblings.
• While his late family included his two wives (he married for the second time after the death of his first wife) and his six children.
• Thomas Edison also has four grandsons.

36. Thomas Edison Father

• The father of Thomas Edison was “Samuel Ogden Edison, Jr”, who was born in 1804 in Marshalltown, Nova Scotia, Canada.
• He was the son of a Loyalist (the American colonists who were at the side of Britain during the American Revolutionary War).
• His family moved from Nova Scotia and settled in a village in southwestern Ontario (which was then called Upper Canada).
• Samuel fled Canada due to taking part in the unsuccessful Rebellions of 1837-1838 and migrate to the United States.
• His original surname was “Edeson” and he was of Dutch parental lineage by way of New Jersey.
• He died in 1896.

37. Thomas Edison Mother

• Nancy Matthews Elliott was the mother of Thomas Edison.
• She was born in 1810 in the Chenango County of New York.
• She educated Thomas Edison herself at home and had a great influence on his early development.

38. Did Thomas Edison Have Any Siblings – Thomas Edison Siblings

• Yes, Thomas Edison had six siblings; three brothers and three sisters.
  • Carlile Snow Edison (brother)
  • William Pitt Edison (brother)
  • Samuel Ogden Edison (brother)
  • Marion Wallace Edison (sister)
  • Eliza Smith Edison (sister)
  • Harriett Ann (sister)

39. Did Thomas Edison Get Married – Thomas Edison Marriage

• Yes, Thomas Edison got married two times.
• His first marriage was with Mary Stillwell, and after her death, he got married to Mina Miller.

40. Who Did Thomas Edison Marry – Thomas Edison Wife

• The first wife of Thomas Edison, Mary Stillwell, was his employee.
• His second wife, Mina Miller, was the daughter of Lewis Millar, who was an inventor, Chautauqua Institution co-founder, and a Methodist charities benefactor.

41. When Did Thomas Edison Get Married

• Thomas Edison married Mary Stillwell in 1871.
• His second marriage with Mina Miller occurred in 1886, two years later the death of his first wife.

42. How Many Kids Did Thomas Edison Have – Thomas Edison Children

• Thomas Edison had six children.
• He and his first wife, Mary Stillwell, had three children;
  • Marion Estelle Edison (daughter), was born in 1873 and was nicknamed “Dot”.
  • Thomas Alva Edison Jr. (son), was born in 1876 and had a “Dash” nickname.
  • William Leslie Edison (son) was born in 1878.
• Thomas Edison and his second wife, Mina Miller, also had three children;
  • Madeleine Edison (daughter) was born in 1888.
  • Charles Edison (son) was born in 1890 and was the Governor of New Jersey from 1941 to 1944.
  • Theodore Miller Edison (son) was born in 1898.

43. Thomas Edison Friends

• Henry Ford, who was an American industrialist and the founder of Ford Motor Company, was a close friend of Thomas Edison until his death.
• Harvey S. Firestone (an American businessman) was another friend of Thomas Edison.

44. What Were Thomas Edison’S Hobbies – Thomas Edison Hobbies

• Reading and conducting experiments were the hobbies of Thomas Edison.

45. Thomas Edison Life Timeline

• The following is a brief life timeline of Thomas Edison:

46. Thomas Edison Death

• Thomas Edison died in 1831 in New Jersey due to the problems of diabetes.

47. When Did Thomas Edison Die – Thomas Edison Death Date

• Thomas Edison died on October 18, 1931.

48. Where Did Thomas Edison Die – Thomas Edison Death Place

• Thomas Edison died in his home “Glenmont”, which he bought as a wedding gift for his wife Mina Miller in 1886, located in Llewellyn Park in West Orange, New Jersey, United States.

49. How Did Thomas Edison Die – Thomas Edison Cause Of Death

• The cause of Thomas Edison’s death was diabetic complications.

50. How Old Was Thomas Edison When He Died – Thomas Edison Age At Death

• The age of Thomas Edison was 84 years at the time of his death.

51. Thomas Edison Light Bulb Facts

• Thomas Edison was not the actual inventor of the incandescent light bulb.
• Before Edison’s bulb, there were 23 different light bulbs, however, they were not practically successful.
• Thomas Edison discovered the principle of passing a powerful electric current through a filament and its illumination without combustion.
• For this purpose, he conducted up to a thousand experiments along with his lab associates.
• They tested a large number of materials including up to 6,000 different plant matters.
• Finally, they became successful in finding the cotton thread filament, which was able to produce light for about 13 continuous hours.
• Later, they found that a filament of carbonized bamboo was an ideal alternative to cotton thread filament.

52. Fun Facts About Thomas Edison – Interesting Facts About Thomas Edison

• Thomas Edison was called “Al” by his family.
• He developed hearing problems at an early age.
• Thomas Edison attended school only for three months and was homeschooled by his mother after his teacher called him addled (mentally ill) in a letter written to his mother.
• Thomas Edison was only 10 years old when he set up his first laboratory in the basement of his home.
• At the age of 13, he sold newspapers and candies in trains and railroads.
• Tattoo machines are the alternative versions of the electric pen invented by Thomas Edison.
• After the invention of the phonograph, Thomas Edison was known as “The Wizard of Menlo Park”.
• The electric light bulb is the most famous invention of Thomas Edison.
• In 1923, Thomas Edison visited his birthplace in Millan, Ohio for the last time, and it is reported that he became shocked when he found that candles and lamps are still used as a light source in his old home.
• Thomas Edison established the first film production studio of the world “Black Maria” in 1893.

53. Thomas Edison Biography Book

• The most popular biography book of Thomas Edison is “Edison a Biography” by Matthew Josephson.

55. Thomas Edison Movie

• After the invention of the motion picture camera, Thomas Edison along with William Kennedy Dickson produced several short films.
• Some of his earliest movies are:
  • Carmencita (1894)
  • Annie Oakley (1894)
  • Annabelle Serpentine Dance (1895)
  • The Execution of Mary Stuart (1895)
  • The Kiss (1896)
  • Frankenstein (1910)