Who knows why Edison had the impulse to invent?

Edison was born in a snowstorm at 3 am on February 1847+0 1. His father also took him to the streets to brag to others. Everyone calls him Al. Edison loved to ask questions when he was a child, and he often asked strange questions, which made people feel very annoyed. His family and pedestrians on the road are the objects of his inquiry. If he is not satisfied with the adults' answers, he will ask them himself. Mother told him that the hen was hatching eggs, and Al thought that if the hen could hatch eggs, so could I. A few days later, mom and dad found Al squatting in the wooden room, wondering what he was doing. When the family found Al incubating eggs, everyone burst into laughter.

When Al was eight years old, he went to primary school, but after only three months of classes, he dropped out. When Al is in class, his mother is often called to the school to talk to the teacher. This is because Al often asks some questions that the teacher thinks are strange. The teacher thought he was a mentally retarded child, so his mother decided to teach Al herself and was determined to make Al a great genius. In this way, Al began his self-study course, and Al was well taught by his mother. Later, Al also got permission to set up a laboratory in the basement. In order to prevent others from tampering with his experiments, Al also came up with a clever idea, that is, to put poison labels on the bottles of each experiment.

One morning when he was twelve years old, Al suddenly said to his mother, Mom, I want to sell newspapers, okay? Mom was shocked and dad was angry. But at Al's repeated requests, his parents finally agreed. He happily ran to the railway company and got permission to sell newspapers on the train. It's a hundred kilometers from Port Sheron to Detroit. After working as a newspaper boy in the car for several months, Al opened two stores in Detroit, one selling magazines and the other selling vegetables, fruits and cream. And agreed to share the prize money with them. Soon, another train was added to the railway, and Al sent a newsboy to sell it. In this way, a newsboy of 12 years old unconsciously became a young capitalist.

Wandering years

Another time Edison lost his job because he used his invention in the wrong place-at that time, he worked as a night shift operator in the railway bureau. According to the regulations of the Railway Bureau, after 9 pm, the operator should send a signal to the train service center every hour to prevent the staff from sleeping lazy. So Edison made an automatic timing transmitter, which made Edison the most punctual and reliable transmitter in the whole situation. However, during an inspection, the train service director found Edison asleep, a delicate machine. Although the director appreciated his talent, the railway bureau needed an honest and quiet person, not an inventor, so Edison was fired again!

Before 2 1 year-old, Edison can be said to have frequently jumped ship and ran around in some telecom and telegraph companies until he came to new york. With his mechanical knowledge and excellent maintenance technology, he slowly became famous and set up his own engineering company, specializing in manufacturing and improving some commercial machines, such as gold market monitors, stock market monitors, gold price printing machines and other commercial machines, while developing and contracting various scientific instruments.

The genius of Romon Garden

1876, Edison established his experimental invention center in Romon Garden in southern New York, which is what we usually call "Edison Invention Factory". There are excellent equipment and instruments, and a group of talented experts. From 1876 to 1887, this group of scientists led by Edison carried out systematic, complex and diverse scientific research and development work here. If Edison's invention in Monroe Garden is listed as a table, I'm afraid that table will extend from the table to the floor. Many things in it are unfamiliar to us, but many of them are closely related to our lives.

Young inventor

One day Edison heard the good news that South America was recruiting telecom technicians, but when they were going to South America, an old uncle told them that it was not good there, so the idea of going to South America disappeared, so he returned to his hometown of Hulun Port. During this wandering period, Edison also worked hard, doing experiments, research and work, which laid a good foundation for his future inventions.

During Edison's return to China, his good friend Adams helped him find a job as a telecom mechanic in Boston, where Edison invented the automatic voting machine, which was Edison's first patented invention. Automatic voting machine is a machine with green and red buttons. Press the green button for "Yes" and the red button for "No". After the machine was finished, he went to Washington to do experiments with the machine. After arriving in Washington, the experimental results were very good, but members of the Committee still told Edison that the machine was not very practical. Sitting on the train home, he thought that "most of the inventions that inventors come up with in their minds are not practical, and only inventions that naturally arise from social needs are meaningful." Edison's first invention, though it failed in this way, taught Edison a valuable lesson. He became a successful inventor in the future because of the policies established at that time.

Edit this interesting life story

Edison was curious about many things since he was a child, and he liked to try it himself until he understood the truth. When I grow up,

[Edison's Menlo Park Laboratory]

Edison's Menlo Park Laboratory

According to his interest in this field, he devoted himself to research and invention. He established a laboratory in New Jersey, and invented the electric light, telegraph, phonograph, film machine, magnetic mineral analyzer, crusher and so on for more than 2000 kinds of things in his life. Edison's strong research spirit made him make great contributions to the improvement of human lifestyle.

(1) started his initial experiment in his own wooden shed.

Edison liked to think about a series of problems with his distinctive big head since he was a child. When he saw the blacksmith burning iron in the blazing fire and hammering into various tools, he shook his head and asked one question after another: What is fire? Why does the fire burn? Why is the fire so hot? Why does iron turn red after burning in a fire? Why is iron soft when it is red? Back home, little Edison started his first experiment in his own wooden shed. He brought hay and lit it. He wants to know what fire is. However, little Edison's first experiment led to a big fire, which destroyed the wooden shed at home.

(2) "Life is too short to do more with less time."

"Waste, the biggest waste is wasting time." Edison often said to his assistant. "Life is short, so we should try to do more with less time."

One day, Edison was working in the laboratory. He handed his assistant an empty glass bulb without a lampholder and said, "Measure the capacity of the bulb." He bowed his head to work again.

After a long time, he asked, "What's the capacity?" He didn't hear the answer, turned to see the assistant measuring the circumference and inclination of the light bulb with a soft ruler, and poured the measured figures on the table for calculation. He said, "Time, time, why does it take so much time?" Edison came over, picked up the empty light bulb, filled it with water, handed it to his assistant, and said, "Pour the water into the measuring cup and tell me its capacity at once."

The assistant read out the numbers at once.

Edison said, "How easy it is to measure. It is both accurate and time-saving. Why didn't you think of that? " ? Still counting. Isn't that a waste of time? "

The assistant's face turned red.

Edison murmured, "Life is too short, too short. Save time and do more! " "

(3) Even when I sleep, I am absorbing the nutrition in the book.

In order to do experiments, Edison often stayed outside the laboratory and stayed awake for several days. I was so tired that I took a nap with a book as a pillow on the experimental table. One day, his friend made fun of him and said, "No wonder Edison knew so many inventions. It turns out that he is absorbing nutrition from books even when he sleeps. "

(4) Why can hens hatch chicks and I can't?

Once, when it was time for dinner, Edison still didn't come back. My parents are worried and look around. It was not until the evening that I found him in the hut next to the yard. Seeing him lying motionless in the haystack with many eggs, his father asked very strangely, "What are you doing?" Little Edison replied unhurriedly, "I'm incubating chickens!" " "It turned out that he was surprised to see that hens could hatch chicks, and he always wanted to try it himself. At that time, his father pulled him up with anger and laughter and told others not to hatch chickens. On the way home, he asked doubtfully, "Why can hens hatch chicks and I can't?"? "

(5) What's the secret in the wild beehive?

Edison was often in danger because he was interested in many things. Once, he went to the house where wheat was stored and accidentally bumped into the wheat barn. Wheat can't move with his head buried. He almost died, but fortunately he was found in time, grabbed Edison's foot and pulled him out. Another time, he fell into the water and was pulled up like a drowned rat. He's scared himself. When he was 4 years old, he wanted to see what was in the wild beehive on the fence, so he stabbed it with a branch, and his face was so red and swollen that he could hardly open his eyes.

(6) Nothing unexpected.

While studying talking movies, Edison tried to engage in a great career that he had never been exposed to. 189 1 year, he invented "Edison concentrator" and started his own mining career. Unfortunately, this project caused great losses to Edison. However, although the mining industry failed, it became a typical example for Edison to meet the needs of the country. Henry Ford once said that his principle of mass production was inspired by the layout of Edison's grinder.

Edison came back from the screening plant, on the one hand, engaged in the manufacture of cement, on the other hand, developed a new battery. It took him a day and a night to draw the design of the new cement plant, which was very comprehensive. There was no big increase in the next ten years. When he was building a cement plant, he made a raw material machine, a fine grinding machine and designed a long kiln with a patent of 1909. 19 10, Edison Cement Company ranked fifth in China. Edison used to stay up all night when he made batteries, just like inventing electric light. He experimented more than 9,000 times in more than five months. After the production was completed, he produced in the peripheral factory of West Orange 3, which was very popular.

(7) Reasons for interest transfer

Edison devoted all his energy to invention, and experiments and research became his second life. Shortly after Edison invented the electric light, he devoted himself to a major exploration. The first content of this main exploration is the movie camera. Edison Company started filming in 1889, but suddenly stopped production in 19 15.

John Mersel, a film professor at Southern Illinois University in the United States, believes that there may be three main reasons why Edison decided to turn his attention to making film machines in 1888.

"First of all, the phonograph he invented was a great success at that time, which made his reputation in the world more prominent. Edison was interested in all aspects of technology. He later declared that he really made up his mind to do something for his eyes, just as the phonograph did for his ears. "

Edison said: "It suddenly occurred to me that I can design a machine that has the same effect on the eyes as the phonograph does on the ears, and then combine the two, so that all moving pictures and sounds can be recorded and reproduced at the same time."

By the end of 1980s, scientists were trying to explore this possibility. Edison actually made relevant assumptions as early as 10 years ago. William Bishop's article "A Night with Edison * * *" published in June 1878 165438 has shown that Edison had long considered it.

Second, he knows the work done by muybridge in the United States, Marley in France and Fries Green in Britain.

For example, muybridge invented a projector called "Zoopraxiscope". This projector projects an image through a rotating round glass, making the image look like it is moving naturally. According to Scientific American magazine, "The horse projected on the screen like this, if combined with the sound of hooves and nostrils from time to time, will make the audience believe that there is a beautiful horse in front of them." However, this kind of photography has fatal shortcomings. This is a one-minute flattery run, and 720 cameras need to be set along the runway. Moreover, the center of every photo is a horse. Although it seems that its legs are moving, it seems that the horse itself is not moving, but the background is passing quickly.

Muybridge performed this kind of experimental mirror all over the United States and wrote an introduction article in a science magazine. On February 25th, 1888, McBride came to West Orange. We don't know whether Edison participated in the observation, but one thing is certain, that is, muybridge visited Edison's laboratory two days later. According to his book entitled Animals in Motion, he "consulted Mr. Thomas A. Edison about the possibility of using the phonograph (combined with the projector of animal images)".

Edison agreed in a statement published in The new york World. According to muybridge's biographer, "Edison enthusiastically supported this proposal and proposed to record the voices of Edwin Booth and Lillian Russell himself, and muybridge filmed their movements and expressions." Later, the idea was abandoned because muybridge felt that the volume of the phonograph was not enough to cope with a large audience.

For 20 years, Marie in France has been using the method of marking black soot with a needle tip to study the movement speed of animals. It was not until 1882 that Laoqiao traveled to Europe that Marley decided to do the experiment with photos. At that time, there was a photographic master coated with colloidal bromine on the market, which facilitated his experimental work. From then on. It is easy to develop a snapshot master with the prepared medicine, and it can be preserved for many years.

Marley invented the "photographic gun", 1882, and he invented the "fixed film continuous camera", which was later changed into a "moving film continuous camera" because of Kodak film newly sold in the market. 1888 10, Marley presented the photos taken with this film to the French Academy of Sciences for the first time. In fact, he had invented modern cameras and photography technology by then.

Marley's success promoted the efforts of Lund in France and Ankes in Germany. Shortly after Marley presented his original photos to the French Academy of Sciences, Le Plance and Frais Green in Britain also achieved the same result (1888- 1890). They successfully showed the film in the laboratory (sometimes in public), just as Marley himself and his collaborator Duminil did later. The films of Le Plance and Frais Green are perforated, which is an essential device to keep the images fixed during the screening.

"The third reason is that Edison's new young assistant, w. K.L.Dickson, is a photographer, so he has the ability to study the problem of activity photography."

It is said that Dixon is descended from Anne Laurie, the character in the song. The purpose of his emigration to America was to join Edison's camp. For a time, he was the director of the experimental department of the Gohlke Street factory, which made giant generators. Director Dixon is serious, rigorous in work style and good in photography.

Edison and Dixon both knew the work of German Otto Anschutz, who invented an "animation machine". Although this device can produce moving images, it can't use flexible film or project images onto the screen.

At that time, people were no strangers to photography, with precise lenses, high-quality latex and several devices to obtain moving pictures according to the principle of scene temporary storage. Some of them use shutters to block the projector's light when the image changes. Dixon's basic job is to find a way to connect intermittent motion on curved film with shutter.

Perhaps it was Dixon's familiarity with Anschutz's animation machines that enabled him to design his first machine. He tried to draw a tiny image on a cylinder; When the cylinder rotates, every passing picture is quickly projected by light. Because the picture is too small, Dixon decided to try out a device that can draw a larger image with a larger flexible tape.

Fortunately for Dixon, several photographic material manufacturers have found a way to coat transparent and flexible celluloid sheets with emulsion. Compared with the glass plate used for still photography in the past, this material is called film. The word "film" comes from the word "filmen". In old English, it refers to the foam produced when milk is boiled. In the United States, the availability of flexible film is very important for Dixon to try to make a successful film machine.

1In the autumn of 889, Edison submitted an advance notice to the US Patent Office, describing a machine that "acts on the eyes like a phonograph does on the ears" and named it "a movable film projector". However, due to the low photographic sensitivity of various wet prints, the images of people and animals taken in motion are blurred. When Edison tried to solve these problems, others were also trying to make things about "movies".

Because Edison could not leave the power industry in 1889, he was not only going to merge the companies into Edison General Electric Company, but also deeply involved in the risk of fine ore project. Moreover, because he also planned to visit Britain and France, Edison gave Dixon the task of developing cameras.

(8) People who forget their names

One day when he was immersed in his research, he went to the tax bureau to pay taxes. Waiting in a long line, my mind was still full of research, and I didn't respond when I called my name. It happened that an acquaintance next to him told him, "Isn't your name Thomas Edison?" But he said, "Where have I heard this name?" Oh! By the way, isn't that my name? "On this matter, he recalled:" Although it was only three seconds, I couldn't remember my name even if someone said he was going to kill me. "

(9) Last words [1]

In many official documents, it is also clearly recorded that when Edison was dying, doctors and many relatives and friends of Edison sat around his bed, watching his breathing get weaker and weaker, and his heart finally stopped beating. But just as the doctor was about to announce his death, he suddenly sat up again and said a strange sentence: "What a surprise-it's so beautiful there …". After that, he officially died. This matter has always been a mystery. Although it has been recorded in many official documents, no one has been able to solve this mystery. Ni Kuang's Wesley novel Hair also illustrates this matter.