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Edison National Historic SiteThomas Edison
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Edison National Historic Site
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Black and white photograph from 1929 of a replica of Thomas Edison's first working lightbulb.
NPS Photo
Replica of Thomas Edison's first working lightbulb.

Be an Inventor  

See if you can invent like Edison

Explore Edison's Laboratory Complex and see how Thomas Edison had a room or building for various steps of his invention process.

Can you pick out the right material for the lightbulb filament? Can you pick out the right shape? Play the game and see if YOU can build a working lightbulb.

How hard can inventing be? See if you can make the right decisions to steer the Edison Team to successfully invent the motion picture camera.

 

 
Thomas Edison taking notes in his chemistry lab.
NPS Photo
Thomas Edison taking notes in his chemistry lab.
The Edison Test
 
If you wanted to work as an executive for Thomas A. Edison, Incorporated in the early 1920s, you had to pass a test.  Edison himself chose the questions, which ranged from geography to astronomy to economics to fiction to history.  The inventor believed that an intelligent, well educated person should know most of the answers.  After all, he knew them and he had never been to college.  In fact, he had mostly been home schooled by his mother!
 
The graves of Thomas and Mina Edison.  

Did You Know?
Thomas Edison passed away in 1931 and his wife Mina passed in 1947. They were buried at Rosedale Cemetery. In 1963, the family had Thomas and Mina re-buried at the home they loved and where they spent their 44 years together - Glenmont.

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Last Updated: March 25, 2009 at 14:30 EST