What is genius? Thomas Edison said it was 1 percent inspiration (getting an idea) and 99 percent perspiration (hard work). That’s how Edison lived his life.
Ever since he was a boy, he was always working on some idea. Many of his ideas changed the world. The electric light bulb, the phonograph, and the motion picture projector are the most famous. But there were many more. In his lifetime, Edison received patents for 1,093 inventions.
Edison wasn’t just an inventor. He wanted to make sure his inventions got used. So he also became a businessman. For example, after he built the first movie camera, he built a studio next to his West Orange, New Jersey, laboratory. Then he produced the first motion pictures.
Edison was not like most people’s idea of an inventor. He didn’t stay in a lab and avoid people to follow his inner vision. Edison was different. He created the modern team approach to research and development of new ideas. You might say it was an invention he didn’t patent.
Where did Thomas Edison get his ideas? How much hard work did it take to make his dreams become reality? Read on, as Kids Discover takes you on a journey with a genius.
