Thomas Edison

One of history's most prominent inventors was Thomas Alva Edison. He also created the phonograph, upgraded telegraph, telephone, motion picture camera, and incandescent light bulb.

A safe, affordable electric light to replace the gaslight was a challenge that experts had been thinking about for 50 years before Thomas Edison set out to solve it in 1878 AD.

He achieved success with a platinum filament light bulb in October 1879 AD. He found carbonized bamboo as a workable filament substitute in 1880, which turned out to be the secret to a durable and affordable light bulb.

In 1881 A.D., he established an electric light business in Newark before relocating his family to New York the following year. He is recognized as one of the most famous people in the Victorian Era for setting the foundation for contemporary technology and society in the age of electricity.

Born: February 11, 1847

Died: October 18, 1931

Role: inventor