He continued to work on inventions related to the telegraph, and developed his first successful invention, an improved stock ticker called the 'Universal Stock Printer'. Edison resolved that in the future he would only invent things that he was certain the public would want.Įdison moved to New York City in 1869. He received his first patent on an electric vote recorder, a device intended for use by elected bodies such as Congress to speed the voting process. Here Edison began to change his profession from telegrapher to inventor.

Edison worked in a number of cities throughout the United States before arriving in Boston in 1868. This rapid growth gave Edison and others like him a chance to travel, see the country, and gain experience. The development of the telegraph was the first step in the communication revolution, and the telegraph industry expanded rapidly in the second half of the 19th century. By the time he was sixteen, Edison was proficient enough to work as a telegrapher full time. He seems to have spent much of his free time reading scientific, and technical books, and also had the opportunity at this time to learn how to operate a telegraph. At thirteen he took a job as a newsboy, selling newspapers and candy on the local railroad that ran through Port Huron to Detroit. This belief in self-improvement remained throughout his life.Įdison began working at an early age, as most boys did at the time. He was taught reading, writing, and arithmetic by his mother, but was always a very curious child and taught himself much by reading on his own. Edison had very little formal education as a child, attending school only for a few months. Edison lived here until he struck out on his own at the age of sixteen. When Edison was seven his family moved to Port Huron, Michigan. Thomas Alva Edison was born on Februin Milan, Ohio the seventh and last child of Samuel and Nancy Edison.

Edison 5 full version free download