Thomas Edison was born in Milan, Ohio, on February 11, 1847.
Edison’s father, Samuel, was a shingle maker and land speculator, while his mother, Nancy, kept house and taught young Edison at home. Edison was the youngest of seven children, only four of whom lived past their childhoods. Because his siblings were more than 15 years older, Edison was the only child in the home and received the benefit of both parents’ dutiful attention. His family moved from Ohio to Port Huron, Michigan, in 1854.Īs a boy, Edison attended school only briefly. His education came in large part at home where his mother taught and his father kept a library. Edison was encouraged to read and developed a strong interest in reading, in subjects ranging from Western history to general science. Like many scientifically-minded boys of his era, Edison took a special interest in chemistry and assembled a home laboratory where he collected chemicals and experimented with them. The young Edison displayed a remarkable inclination for entrepreneurship. At age 13 he was employed by the Grand Trunk Railroad as a newsboy and concessionaire on the trains that ran from Port Huron to Detroit. He started a newspaper and sold it to passengers and at stations between the two cities. He transported produce, buying in Detroit and from farmers along the way, and employed another boy to sell fruits and vegetables in Port Huron. His daily trip to Detroit provided him with a layover during which he would visit the city’s libraries to read scientific books and periodicals. Edison was allowed to keep a chemistry set onboard the train so he could conduct experiments during the layover, until one day when the train lurched and a bottle of yellow phosphorus immersed in water fell to the floor and broke. Exposed to air, the phosphorus spontaneously ignited, and a fire broke out.
0 kommentar(er)
