Thomas Alva Edison

Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931) was an American inventor, scientist and businessman who developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb.

Thomas Edison was born in Milan, Ohio, and grew up in Port Huron, Michigan. He was the seventh and last child of Samuel "The Iron Shovel" Edison, Jr. (1804–1896) (born in Marshalltown, Nova Scotia, Canada) and Nancy Matthews Elliott (1810–1871). He considered himself to be of Dutch ancestry.

Edison’s mother schooled him. Much of his education came from reading R.G. Parker's School of Natural Philosophy and The Cooper Union. Edison had hearing problems at an early age. The cause of his deafness had been attributed to scarlet fever during childhood and untreated middle ear infections

At age of 15 becomes a manager of telegraph office and produces his first invention-the transmitter.

1878 -The Edison Electric Light Company
1879 - a lamp that glows for 40 hours
- the world’s first central electric light power station in New York