Who was called the "Wizard of Menlo Park"?

Thomas Edison became known as "The Wizard of Menlo Park". It was a New York newspaper in the spring of the year 1877 that first called Thomas Edison "the Wizard of Menlo Park". He created some the world's most important (phonograph) and some of his greatest inventions at Menlo Park. While headquartered there, he applied for about 400 patents on inventions big and small. He was one of the first inventors to apply the principles of mass production and large scale teamwork to the process of invention, and because of that, he is often credited with the creation of the first industrial research laboratory. He opened his research laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey in 1876.

He lived from February 11, 1847 until October 18, 1931. He died at the age of 84 in West Orange, New Jersey.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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33 Comments

Thomas Begeng

markdclark, Keith is absolutely right - Edison was most notably a great "improver" and "commercializer" with the vast majority of the patent's he file being improved versions of other peoples work or the direct result of people he paid to invent things that he filed the patents for as his own. With the help of wealthy financiers, bribes, blackmail and market manipulation, he corrupted the entire financial and political system in his favour for decades ensuring the only practical pathway for commercialisation of many ideas was through Edison and his backers. If you want to get a perspective on the man he was just read up on the electricity war between Edison and Tesla where he undertook a massive campaign of lies, deceit, misinformation and bribing of government officials to back his DC power company against the clearly superior method of AC current production invented by Tesla and others. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_the_currents

Keith Richard Mears

Great talent for taking other people's inventions as his own, simply because the real inventors were under contract to him & commercializing them for his own fame & profit.

George Oliver Prince

From all accounts, not a very nice person

patrhea

I admired this man until I watched a documenting that showed that to prove his DC current was superior to AC, publicly staged a demonstration of electrocution of an innocent and beloved elephant at Coney Island. I have been in disgust of him ever since. May God have mercy on him and r.i.p.

Terri L Hargrove-Taylor

We knew a woman who cared for his mother... she also worked with him. He probably stole some of her inventions.

David Coe

The preserved home and laboratory is well worth a visit.

erik hughes

Yes, he was the first to create what was basically a sweat-shop for intellectual property. He took other people's ideas and claimed them as his own, paying them a pittance while he grew rich off of their work. He told Nicola Tesla that, if Tesla could give him 20 patents, Edison would give him $10,000. When he did just that, he asked Edison for the money, and Edison just scoffed at him, and said "You've got a lot to learn about the American sense of humor!" Tesla quit on the spot and spent the next several years digging trenches and working on his ideas about "Alternating Current". When Tesla died, he was just about penniless, but he won the current wars. Tells you a lot about "The American Dream", doesn't it?

Carroll Price

DC current is equal to AC current for short distances, but AC current is more efficient for long distance transmission of power.

Annie

Have heard this monicker for years used for Edison

Char

patrhea, I also lost respect for him another level that was taking others inventions as his own. Sure he improved most but he doesn't give them an ounce of recognition. Kind of like our women were involved in major things even mathematicians of NASA Projects. Yet we are just learning about it. I'm with you on the elephant innocent creature was greatly Abused.. No respect period

Char

I sure knew that one with I his light show who else could it be .

james parrillo

Diana Newman, Menlo Park is a part of Edison, New Jersey, in Middlesex County. Wikipedia says Edison was named for Thomas Edison. It was originally Raritan Township. Thank you, Christine, James's wife