Name 
Thomas Alva Edison 

Date of Birth 
February 11,1847 

Date of Death
October 18, 1931 

Place of Birth
Milan, Ohio 

Birth Family  
Samuel and Nancy Edison

Marriage/Spouse
Mary Stilwell
After her death, Edison married Mina Miller. 

Children
6 children – three by each wife
Marion Estelle ,Thomas Alva Jr., William Leslie,
Madeleine, Charles, Theodore Miller  

Education
Very little formal education
Home schooled by his mother 

Career
Telegrapher and inventor 

Reason for Fame
First patent – telegraph
First invention – Tin foil phonograph
Edison profoundly affected the technology of modern society.
Thomas Edison graced the world with over 1,000 inventions;
he had 1,093 successful U.S. patents.  He had filed an estimated 500-600 unsuccessful or abandoned patent applications as well. 

Additional Information
Edison’s greatest challenge was the development of a practical incandescent, electric light.
He didn’t invent the light bulb, but rather he improved upon a 50-year-old idea.

America’s Story: Thomas Alva Edison
Biography of Thomas Edison

Biography: Thomas A. Edison

Edison Birthplace Museum

Edison Depot Museum

Edison's Miracle of Light

Electric Lamp

Electric Light Bulb

Energy Planet

Inventing Entertainment

Inventions of Thomas Edison

The Thomas Edison Papers
Thomas Alva Edison

Thomas Alva Edison 1  

Thomas Edison and the Menlo Park Laboratory

Thomas Edison House

Thomas Edison: Inventor

Thomas Edison's Home Page

Thomas Edison's Patents
Wikipedia : Thomas Alva Edison
Wizard of Menlo Park

Fast Facts Resources
Wikipedia
About.com - Inventors
Thomas Edison.com