Bedtime Biography: Edison summary

Thomas Alva Edison was born in 1847 in the small town of Milan, Ohio, the youngest of seven children. His father, Samuel, was a lumber trader. When Thomas Alva was only seven years old, Samuel relocated the family to Port Huron, Michigan, chasing business opportunities that came with the explosive growth of railroads across the United States.

Not everyone expected great things from young “Al,” as he was affectionately called. In fact, Alva’s school teachers in Port Huron told his parents he might be “addled.” He was incapable of paying attention in class. He’d rather live in his own world, inside his head.

It’s 1860 and Thomas Alva Edison is piloting a train from Port Huron to Detroit. He’s only thirteen years old, yet somehow he has convinced the train engineer to let him drive the engine all by himself.

At least that’s how Edison would tell the story later in life. More likely, the engineer was hovering over his shoulder, making sure he didn’t crash the train. But the enthusiastic Alva was too excited to notice.

Fifteen-year-old Alva had no trouble finding a job as a “tramp,” a traveling telegraph operator relaying messages about train movements. With so many adults off fighting the Civil War, there was plenty of work available. And since Alva had taught himself Morse code, his skills were in high demand.

Like other tramps, Edison moved up and down the train tracks, living for short stints in cities such as Louisville, Nashville, and Cincinnati. He built a reputation as one of the fastest operators in the country. Messages came down the wire at forty words per second, and Edison could translate them flawlessly, for hours at a time, as if he were in a trance. He was soon hired by Western Union, America’s top telegraph service.

From today’s perspective, it’s hard to imagine how radical an invention the phonograph was. For the first time in human history, you could say something into a speaker and play it back. You could save your voice for years, decades, even centuries.

Naturally, Edison’s invention caused a huge stir. Demonstrations of the device raced across the world, from San Francisco to London. Edison was given a new nickname, the “Wizard of Menlo Park,” and his laboratory was soon overflowing with newspapermen and sightseers. For the rest of his life, crowds of journalists would track his every move.

You’ve reached the end of this Bedtime Biography. Thank you for listening. Why not pause listening now so you can stay in a relaxed state? And if you’re off to bed now, I wish you a good night’s sleep.