Wizard of Menlo Park
By Diana V.
Background
• Thomas Edison grew up in Milan, Ohio.
• Throughout his life he had hearing
problems
• At school he was thought of as stupid
• He dropped out of school but continued to
learn
Character Traits
Thomas Edison was...
• curious
• intelligent
• an avid reader
• an investigator
• determined
• diligent
How Thomas Edison Made His
Money
• When Thomas Edison was 14 he created
a newspaper called The Weekly Herald
• Another way he made money was by
being a skilled telegrapher
• Created the Edison Portland Cement
Company
• Built the first movie studio “Black Maria”
along with William Kennedy Laurie
Pickson
A List of Some
Inventions/Improvements Made by
Thomas Edison
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Designed fire alarms
incandescent lightbulbs
phonograph
improved the telephone
silent films
movies with sound
alkaline battery
Quadraplex Telegraph
How Thomas Edison Used His
Money
• To buy more materials for his laboratories
• Bought land in Menlo Park, NJ in 1875
• Used this land to build his home and the
first Research and Development
Laboratory
• Built a bigger laboratory in West Orange,
NJ
Extra Facts About Thomas Edison
• Thomas Edison was the first inventor to be
honored in the National Inventors Hall of
Fame
• Thomas Edison discovered high-frequency
electromagnetic waves
• Invented a vote counting machine but no
one wanted to use it
• Holds a record of the most patents:1,093
patents
Quotes From Thomas Edison
•“To invent, you need a good
imagination and a pile of junk.”
•“There is always a way to do it
better... find it.’
•“To have a great idea, have a lot of
them.”
More Quotes From Thomas Edison
• “If we all did the things we are
capable of doing we would
literally astound ourselves.”
• ‘”Success is one percent
inspiration; ninety-nine percent
perspiration.”
Thomas Edison/Bill Gates
Compare and Contrast
•Both invented a product that most
people use everyday
•Both started their own business early
•Bill Gates had a main partner, Paul
Allen who helped him
•Thomas Edison had a team but not
one significant partner
To sum it all up, Thomas Edison was an
amazing person that all people should
appreciate because he invented many
products that we would have a hard time
living without.