Overcoming Obstacles
Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison did not do well in school. One of his teachers said that he
was a poor and a lazy student. But this teacher could not have been more
wrong. Edison was actually dyslexic. Later in his life, he lost most of his
hearing. But he did not let either of these setbacks stop him from doing
great things with his mind. He is widely thought to be one of the smartest
people who ever lived.
Edison was born in 1847. He grew up in Ohio and Michigan. Due to his
dyslexia, he went to school for just three months. He was mostly schooled
at home by his mother. From his mother, Edison learned to love to read.
He read all kinds of books. In fact, reading was what helped him to
become interested in science.
As a young man, Edison lost all of the hearing in his left ear. He lost 80
percent of the hearing in his right ear, too. But he never gave up learning
or working hard. At age 16, he made his first invention. It was called the
automatic repeater. It helped people to send messages by telegraph.
As an adult, Edison moved to Boston. He took a job as a telegraph
operator. In his free time, he worked on new inventions. He did so well at inventing that he soon left his job and
worked on inventions full-time.
In his lifetime, Edison made 1,093 inventions. Among other things, he
made the first light bulb. He created the first means of electric light, heat,
and power. He made the first motion picture (movie). He also made the
first phonograph. It was the first kind of machine to play music. He created
a voting machine and a stock ticker, too. A stock ticker prints stock prices
on paper tape.
During World War I, the United States government asked Edison for help.
He made new items to help ships and submarines find enemy ships and
guns. These inventions helped in the defense of the country’s east coast.
In 1931, Edison passed away at the age of 84. But his work has not been
forgotten. He may be best remembered by the words: “Genius is one
percent inspiration, 99 percent perspiration.” Hard work was what his life
was all about.
Answer comprehension questions on page 96.
2
Reading Library
Time_________
Level: 5.0
Lexile®: 600L
Word Count: 383