Wizard of Menlo Park

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Thomas Edison

• Wizard of Menlo Park
• By Diana V.

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Background

• Thomas Edison grew up in Milan, Ohio.
• Throughout his life he had hearing problems
• At school he was thought of as stupid
• He dropped out of school but continued to learn

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Character Traits

• Thomas Edison was...
• curious
• intelligent
• an avid reader
• an investigator
• determined
• diligent

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How Thomas Edison Made His Money

• When Thomas Edison was 14 he created a newspaper
  called The Weekly Herald
• Another way he made money was by being a skilled
  telegrapher
• Created the Edison Portland Cement Company
• Built the first movie studio Black Maria along
  with William Kennedy Laurie Pickson

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A List of Some Inventions/Improvements Made by
Thomas Edison

• Designed fire alarms
• incandescent lightbulbs
• phonograph
• improved the telephone
• silent films
• movies with sound
• alkaline battery
• Quadraplex Telegraph

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How Thomas Edison Used His Money

• To buy more materials for his laboratories
• Bought land in Menlo Park, NJ in 1875
• Used this land to build his home and the first
  Research and Development Laboratory
• Built a bigger laboratory in West Orange, NJ

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Extra Facts About Thomas Edison

• Thomas Edison was the first inventor to be
  honored in the National Inventors Hall of Fame
• Thomas Edison discovered high-frequency
  electromagnetic waves
• Invented a vote counting machine but no one
  wanted to use it
• Holds a record of the most patents1,093 patents

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Quotes From Thomas Edison

• To invent, you need a good imagination and a
  pile of junk.
• There is always a way to do it better... find
  it.
• To have a great idea, have a lot of them.

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More Quotes From Thomas Edison

• If we all did the things we are capable of doing
  we would literally astound ourselves.
• Success is one percent inspiration ninety-nine
  percent perspiration.

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Thomas Edison/Bill Gates Compare and Contrast

• Both invented a product that most people use
  everyday
• Both started their own business early
• Bill Gates had a main partner, Paul Allen who
  helped him
• Thomas Edison had a team but not one significant
  partner

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Photo Collage of Thomas Edison
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Concluding Slide

• To sum it all up, Thomas Edison was an amazing
  person that all people should appreciate because
  he invented many products that we would have a
  hard time living without.