Thomas Edison

American inventor and businessman (1847–1931)

OverviewAI-generated

Thomas Alva Edison was an American engineer, inventor, entrepreneur, and businessperson. He was educated at Cooper Union and worked for General Electric. His notable works include the incandescent light bulb and the phonograph. He owned Edison Studios and Edison Records.

Edison was born in Milan, Ohio, in 1847 and died in West Orange in 1931 from type 2 diabetes. He held deist beliefs. He received the Congressional Gold Medal, the Commander of the Legion of Honour, the Grammy Trustees Award, and the Benjamin Franklin Medal. He was also nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physics.

He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the Academy of Sciences of the USSR. His archives are held at Rutgers University. He is recognized in the Hollywood Walk Of Fame collection, the National Inventors Hall Of Fame collection, and the Congressional Gold Medal collection.

Synthesized by Vinony from 37 facts across 4 sources: Wikidata, TMDb, VIAF, Vinony collections. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Film & TV

Milan, Ohio, USA

Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman who has been described as America's greatest inventor. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventions, which include the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and the long-lasting, practical electric…

Known for

History 101 — Self (archive footage)2020
Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound — Self (voice) (archive footage)2019
The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley — Self (archive footage)2019
Edison — Himself (archive footage)2015
The Extraordinary Voyage — Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)2011
Murnau, Borzage and Fox — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)2008
Edison: The Invention of the Movies — Himself (archive footage)2005
Naqoyqatsi — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)2002
Star Power: The Creation Of United Artists — Self (archive footage)1998
The Shadow of Hate: A History of Intolerance in America — Self (archive footage)1995

via TMDB

Authority record · VIAF

Lifespan: 1847–1931
Nationality: US
Role / Field: Scientists, Motion picture producers and directors, Inventors, Inventor, Businesspeople, Science
Language: eng
Gender: Male

Recorded by 33 libraries

via VIAF · OCLC

Wikidata facts

Instance of: human
Given name: Alva
Gender: male
Citizenship: United States
Place of birth: Milan
Place of death: West Orange
Occupation: film producer
Educated at: Cooper Union
Languages spoken: English language
Native language: English language
Religion: deism
Notable work: phonograph
Field of work: screenwriting
Image: Thomas Edison2-crop.jpg

Show 20 more facts

Commons category: Thomas Edison
date of birth: 1847-02-11
date of death: 1931-10-18
topic's main category: Category:Thomas Edison
member of: Academy of Sciences of the USSR
Commons Creator page: Thomas Alva Edison
Commons gallery: Thomas Alva Edison
nominated for: Nobel Prize in Physics
on focus list of Wikimedia project: Wikipedia:Vital articles/Level/4
owner of: Edison Records
different from: Thomas Addison
birth name: Thomas Alva Edison
cause of death: type 2 diabetes
name in native language: Thomas Alva Edison
place of burial: Thomas Edison National Historical Park
ethnic group: Americans
manner of death: natural causes
writing language: English language
start of work period: 1877-00-00
relative: Lewis Miller

Sources (11)

via Wikidata · CC0

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Encyclopedic overview

Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventions, which include the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and early versions of the electric light bulb, have had a widespread impact on the modern industrialized world. He was one of the first inventors to apply the principles of organized science and teamwork to the process of invention, working with many researchers and employees. He established the first industrial research laboratory.

Edison was raised in the American Midwest. Early in his career he worked as a telegraph operator, which inspired some of his earliest inventions. In 1876, he established his first laboratory facility in Menlo Park, New Jersey, where many of his early inventions were developed. He went into business and became wealthy. Edison used his fortune to further his passion for invention. This was realized in experimental mining operations, the first film studio, and 1,093 US patents.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Thomas Edison” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.