In the vast starry sky of human inventions, Thomas Edison is like one of the most brilliant superstars, shining brightly. His reputation as the "king of inventions" is widely known. His legendary stories and inspiring quotes are like bright beacons, illuminating the path of countless people in pursuit of innovation and dreams. However, behind this resounding reputation lie many little-known stories.
I. Exploration of the Truth of the Invention of the Electric Bulb
For a long time, we have always believed that Edison invented the electric bulb in 1879. Since then, his name has been closely linked with light. But the actual situation is far more complicated than we realize. As early as 1801, the British chemist Davy made platinum wire glow by passing electricity through it. Nine years later, he invented the electric candle. In 1854, the American Henry Goebel used carbonized bamboo silk to glow by passing electricity through it in a vacuum glass bottle. His bulb could even maintain illumination for 400 hours. Unfortunately, Goebel failed to apply for a design patent in time.
In 1874, two electrical technicians from Canada created a technology of filling nitrogen gas into a glass bulb and making a carbon rod glow by passing electricity through it. However, due to financial difficulties, they sold this patent to Edison in 1875. In 1878, the British Joseph Wilson Swan completed a "bulb with carbon filament glowing under vacuum" and quickly applied for a British patent.
In 1879, Edison "experimented with more than 1,600 materials and conducted thousands of experiments" and finally found carbonized cotton silk as the ideal filament material. But in fact, Swan had known this discovery as early as 1860. And in 1880, Edison found that carbonized bamboo silk was better than cotton silk, but this achievement had been mastered by Goebel as early as 1854.
II. The Great Miracle of Commercialization
Although the electric bulb was not Edison's original invention, why are we still willing to respectfully call him the inventor of the electric bulb? This is because he was the first person to successfully commercialize electric lights. By establishing generators and power generation systems, he enabled ordinary families to use electric lights and truly brought light into thousands of households.
Edison holds an astonishing 1,093 invention patents, a record that has yet to be broken. However, it cannot be ignored that the acquisition of these patents is largely attributed to the powerful team behind him. In Menlo Park, New Jersey, Edison has his own laboratory, where a group of elite teams composed of engineers, mechanics, and physicists are gathered. They are responsible for specific research and experimental work, while Edison plays a key leadership role. He is responsible for conceiving ideas, communicating and docking with customers and investors, and is also good at dealing with the media to create a good public opinion atmosphere for his inventions.
III. Morgan's Support and Edison's Major Mistake
On Edison's path of invention, the big backer behind him, J.P. Morgan, played a crucial role. Morgan's strong capital support, outstanding business vision, and powerful media influence provided Edison with a solid backing and enabled him to realize his invention dreams.
However, when Edison was stubborn in the battle between direct current and alternating current, Morgan finally chose to merge Edison's company and removed the name "Edison" from the company name and established a new company, which is today's General Electric (GE). Edison's biggest mistake in his life is undoubtedly misjudging the future development of direct current and alternating current. This mistake not only had a huge negative impact on his personal career but also became an indelible stain in his life.
IV. The Intense Feud with Tesla
Edison's lifelong enemy, Nikola Tesla, is a once-in-a-lifetime genius. Tesla was once an employee of Edison's company, but due to serious differences in the issues of direct current and alternating current, the relationship between the two finally broke down. Tesla firmly believed that alternating current was the future development direction, while Edison stubbornly insisted on direct current. In this intense battle, Edison adopted some unseemly means. He tried to prove the danger of alternating current, including cruelly electrocuting animals and promoting the invention of the electric chair to suppress Tesla and alternating current.
V. Challenges in Later Years and Valuable Legacy
The challenges Edison faced in his later years were far more than these. His pursuit of monopoly in the film industry made many film shooting companies flee to Los Angeles one after another, gradually forming the later famous Hollywood. And his excessive insistence on the phonograph also led to the bankruptcy of his company in 1929.
In 1931, Edison passed away due to various diseases such as uremia and diabetes. Although some of his inventions and business decisions ultimately did not achieve complete success, his huge impact on human history cannot be denied. His inventions such as the iron-nickel storage battery brought him great wealth and also brought light and progress to the world.
Conclusion
Edison's story is like a prism, which not only shows his great achievements but also reflects his mistakes and challenges. His life is a magnificent epic of unremitting pursuit of innovation and commercialization and also a profound interpretation of the complexity of human nature. His name will be forever engraved in the long river of human history, constantly reminding us that true greatness does not lie in being flawless but in showing courage and perseverance in the face of challenges and maintaining humility and openness in the process of exploring the unknown.
Edison, the king of inventions, with his outstanding talent and complex humanity, has left us extremely valuable legacies and set up an eternal example. His life and achievements let us deeply realize that true greatness does not lie in being perfect but in bravely facing challenges, persevering in the pursuit of dreams, and maintaining a humble and open attitude on the road of exploring the unknown. Although he is not perfect, it is precisely these imperfections that let us see a real and great Edison and feel the warmth and strength of him as an ordinary person in the process of pursuing excellence.