THOMAS ALVA EDISON Thomas was born February 11, 1847 in Milan Ohio. He was the seventh and last child of Nancy and Samuel Edison. As a child he was very quiet, thoughtful and inquisitive. Because he was not a hardy child he did not attend school until he was 7. His teacher thought he was incapable of learning, so his mother who was a teacher took him out of school and started teaching him herself. Thomas Edison had …showed first 75 words of 622 total…

…showed last 75 words of 622 total…of the United States Consulting Board. This board was formed to develop inventions that would improve the Navy. During this time he created 39 inventions of military importance. These included a listening-device for detecting submarines, an underwater search light, a water-penetrating projectile, a devise for detecting enemy airplanes and a telephone system for ships. During his lifetime Thomas patented 1,300 inventions. He worked in his West Orange laboratory until 3 weeks before his death at age 84 on October 18, 1931