Thomas A. Edison
Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman who has been described as America's greatest inventor. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventions, which include the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and the long-lasting, practical electric light bulb, have had a widespread impact on the modern industrialized world. He was one of the first inventors to apply the principles of organized science and teamwork to the process of invention, working with many researchers and employees. He established the first industrial research laboratory.
Edison was raised in the American Midwest; early in his career he worked as a telegraph operator, which inspired some of his earliest inventions. In 1876, he established his first laboratory facility in Menlo Park, New Jersey, where many of his early inventions were developed. He later established a botanic laboratory in Fort Myers, Florida in collaboration with businessmen Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone, and a laboratory in West Orange, New Jersey that featured the world's first film studio, the Black Maria. He was a prolific inventor, holding 1,093 US patents in his name, as well as patents in other countries. Edison married twice and fathered six children. He died in 1931 of the complications of diabetes.
Known For | Production |
---|---|
Most Rating | 2.986 |
Birthday | 1847-02-11 |
Place of Birth | Milan, Ohio, USA |
Also Known As | Thomas Alva Edison, Thomas Edison, The Wizard of Menlo Park, |
2005
Edison: The Invention of the Movies
7/2
A history of the Edison Company, the pioneering film production company begun by Thomas A. Edison. Included are more than 140 complete films produced...
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Edison: The Invention of the Movies
1897
Mr. Edison at Work in His Chemical Laboratory
5.1/36
“This film is remarkable in several respects. In the first place, it is full life-size. Secondly, it is the only accurate recent portrait of the great...
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Mr. Edison at Work in His Chemical Laboratory
1922
A Day with Thomas A. Edison
0/0
A six-part documentary recording the 74-year-old Edison's collaborations with his staff, conversations with industrial leaders, and supervision of the...
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A Day with Thomas A. Edison
1950
The Golden Twenties
0/0
Feature-length compilation of 1920s newsreel footage, with commentary about news, sports, lifestyles, and historical figures.
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The Golden Twenties
2008
Murnau, Borzage and Fox
7/7
Documentary focusing on the film careers F.W. Murnau, Frank Borzage and William Fox and their impact on the history of cinema.
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Murnau, Borzage and Fox
2015
Edison
6.8/4
By the time he died in 1931, Thomas Alva Edison was one of the most famous men in the world. The holder of more patents than any other inventor in his...
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Edison
1998
Star Power: The Creation Of United Artists
0/0
The careers of D.W. Griffith, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and Charlie Chaplin are chronicled culminating in the formation of United Artists and...
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Star Power: The Creation Of United Artists
1982
Before the Nickelodeon: The Cinema of Edwin S. Porter
5.7/7
A documentary overview of the career of silent cinema pioneer Edwin S. Porter.
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Before the Nickelodeon: The Cinema of Edwin S. Porter
1946
Okay for Sound
5/1
This short was released in connection with the 20th anniversary of Warner Brothers' first exhibition of the Vitaphone sound-on-film process on 6 Augus...
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Okay for Sound
2011
The Extraordinary Voyage
7.7/50
An account of the extraordinary life of film pioneer Georges Méliès (1861-1938) and the amazing story of the copy in color of his masterpiece “A Trip...
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The Extraordinary Voyage
1995
The Shadow of Hate: A History of Intolerance in America
6.3/3
The film expresses the history of oppression, discrimination, violence and hate in America. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentar...
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The Shadow of Hate: A History of Intolerance in America
1990
The Crash of 1929
0/0
Based on eight years of continued prosperity, presidents and economists alike confidently predicted that America would soon enter a time when there wo...
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The Crash of 1929
2019
The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley
7.1/237
With a magical new invention that promised to revolutionize blood testing, Elizabeth Holmes became the world’s youngest self-made billionaire, heralde...
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The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley
1942
The Film That Was Lost
8/1
In this John Nesbitt's Passing Parade short, a look is taken at the problems of film preservation efforts in the 1930s and early 1940s.
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The Film That Was Lost
1909
Meeting of the Motion Pictures Patents Company
0/0
A short film in which the members of the Motion Pictures Patents Company (which had been founded only a year earlier) congratulate Thomas Edison himse...
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Meeting of the Motion Pictures Patents Company
2019
Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound
6.8/66
The history of cinematic sound, told by legendary sound designers and visionary filmmakers.
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