Thomas Edison (1847–1931) is the best-known inventor in American history.
Every time you turn on an electric light, you are using a modern version of his electric light bulb. Every time you listen to recorded music or watch a movie, you are benefiting from his pioneering work in recording sound and live action. Not many people, however, know about Edison’s less successful invention of the tasimeter or the role it played in an eclipse expedition to Rawlins, Wyoming Territory, in July 1878.
INVENTOR IN THE MAKING
Edison, the youngest of seven children, had only three months of formal education. When his mother, a former schoolteacher, overheard Thomas’s teacher accuse her son of muddled thinking, she pulled him out of school. He later said that her faith in his abilities and her nurturing of his curiosity were what formed him.
As an adolescent, he went to work for a railway company, selling newspapers and snacks. While on the job, he was permitted to conduct scientific experiments in the baggage car until he caused a fire with his chemicals. Edison’s deafness has been attributed to his being beaten around the ears by the conductor who threw him off the train after the fire was discovered.
Denne historien er fra January 2017-utgaven av Dig Into History Magazine for Kids and Teens.
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Denne historien er fra January 2017-utgaven av Dig Into History Magazine for Kids and Teens.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Worshiping Heaven
For almost 500 years, emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties offered sacrifices and prayers at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing.
Peace Reigns
The news spread throughout Egypt—a new pharaoh, Ramses III, now sat on the throne.
Problems To The East
Ramses III, the second king of Egypt’s 20th Dynasty, is viewed as Egypt’s last truly great pharaoh.
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Following the death of Ramses III, eight pharaohs, all named Ramses, ruled Egypt.
Stone Code
Hundreds of ships, led by the French general Napoleon Bonaparte, sailed from France in May 1798 on a secret mission.
Up & Away!
Eclipse observers often face unexpected difficulties, sometimes on their way to their chosen sites and sometimes at a site itself.
Edison's Eclipse Adventure
Thomas Edison (1847–1931) is the best-known inventor in American history.
Digging Up Copernicus
The scientist “who made the Earth a planet” is how the Harvard-Smithsonian astronomer Owen Gingerich refers to Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543). Copernicus’ path breaking book, On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres,challenged the centuries-old belief that the Earth stood stationary at the center of the cosmos.
Demosthenes & Cicero
Even today, more than 2,000 years after they lived, Demosthenes and Cicero are still considered two of history’s most outstanding orators.
Confucius & Socrates
Some teachers are so inspirational that their influence lives on long after they die.
