Edison, Thomas

1847 – He was born on the 11th day of February this year in Milan, Ohio.

1862 – He worked as a roving telegrapher in the Midwest, the South, Canada, and New England.

1869 – His inventions, including the duplex telegraph and message printer, were progressing so well, he left telegraphy and began a career of full-time inventing and entrepreneurship.

1875 – He was a poor financial manager; he began to experience financial difficulties.

1876 – He moved into the new building in March this year along with two associates, Charles Batchelor and John Kruesi. Edison achieved his greatest successes in this laboratory and he was dubbed the "Wizard of Menlo Park."

1877 – He invented the carbon-button transmitter that is still used in telephone speakers and microphones.

1877 - He displayed a cylinder wrapped in a thin sheet of foil, and later that year, he made a recording of himself reciting Mary Had A Little Lamb, that still survives today. It was his first phonopraph powered by a hand crank, he later had to make it with electricity, because the first one had bad sound tempo. He called it the Talking Machine.

1878-1886 - He improves the phonopraph even more. he went on to work with Charles Tainter and

Chichester Bell, (Alexnader Graham Bell's cousin) to make wax records for his phonograph.

1879 – He publicly demonstrated his incandescent electric light bulb.

1882 - He supervised the installation of the first commercial, central power system in lower Manhattan.

1883 - His engineers William J. Hammer made a discovery, which later led to the electron tube. The discovery was patented the "Edison effect."

1884 – His wife Mary died, leaving him with three young children.

1885 - He married Mina Miller this year, and began construction on a new laboratory and research facility in West Orange, New Jersey.

1913 – He introduced the first talking moving pictures.

1915 – He was appointed president of the U.S. Navy Consulting Board.

1931- He died on the 18th day of October this year in West Orange, New Jersey. At the time of this death, he was experimenting on rubber from goldenrod.