Thomas edison biography early life

Thomas Edison’s Early Life

Thomas Alva Edison was born on February 11, , in Milan, Ohio. He was the seventh and last child born to Samuel Edison Jr. and Nancy Elliott Edison, and would be one of four to survive to adulthood.

At age 12, he developed hearing loss—he was reportedly deaf in one ear, and nearly deaf in the other—which was variously attributed to scarlet fever, mastoiditis or a blow to the head.

Thomas Edison received little formal education, and left school in to begin working on the railroad between Detroit and Port Huron, Michigan, where his family then lived.

By selling food and newspapers to train passengers, he was able to net about $50 profit each week, a substantial income at the time—especially for a year-old.

Did you know? By the time he died at age 84 on October 18, , Thomas Edison had amassed a record 1, patents: for electric light and power, for the phonograph, for the telegraph, for storage batteries and 34 for the telephone.

During the Civil War, Ed