Thomas Edison

Thomas Edison was born in the United States of America in 1847. His dad thought that Thomas was lazy and he often slapped him. His mother did not think that Thomas was lazy and she helped him to learn. Thomas learned to read and he also set up a workshop.

First Job

Thomas got his first job when he was twelve. He sold sweets and newspapers on trains. He often did experiments with chemicals. One day he blew up the train. The guard was very angry and threw Thomas off the train. Thomas hurt his head and he was deaf for the rest of his life.

Telegraph Office

He was not allowed to travel on trains, but he sold newspapers at the railway stations. One day, he saved a little girl from being knocked down. Her dad gave him a job in a telegraph office.

Inventions

When he was 22, he gave up his job and came to New York. He invented lots of things. If an invention did not work, he tried and tried again. He invented the first record player. He invented the light bulb. He invented the camera. He made films. He improved on inventions such as the telephone and the typewriter.

Hard Work

He worked for 16 hours every day. He never slept for more than 6 hours at night. He made over 3,000 inventions. He died when he was 84 years of age.

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