Thomas Edison
Very little formal schooling, more than a thousand patents.
Where it began
Born in Ohio in 1847, he had only a few months of formal schooling and was largely taught at home by his mother.
The challenge
He had hearing difficulties from childhood and started working young, selling newspapers and snacks on trains.
The turning point
Working as a telegraph operator, he taught himself about electricity and began inventing.
The journey
At his Menlo Park laboratory his team developed the phonograph in 1877 and a long-lasting incandescent light bulb in 1879.
The impact
He held over 1,000 US patents and showed how teamwork and testing could speed up invention.
What we can learn
- Experiment many times.
- Learn outside the classroom.
- Good teams multiply ideas.
Tell the story
Speaking challenge
Retell Thomas Edison’s story in 1 minute: where they began, the challenge, the turning point, and one lesson for you.
Say it out loud. Nobody is listening — that’s the point. Mistakes are allowed.
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