Hero Cultus: Thomas Edison

 When Thomas Edison died in 1931, President Herbert Hoover requested that Americans pay their personal respects to the inventor. He asked that everyone turn off their lights for one minute at the same time. This was a fine tribute for the man who not only perfected the light bulb but also invented the electrical delivery system.

 

One problem was that lights were so integrated into American life that some had to be kept on for public safety. This demonstrated Edison’s far-reaching effect on American life. When Edison died, he was the most prolific inventor in American history with 1,093 patents in his name. By changing the landscape of industrial America, he created the 20th Century. His legacy was so profound that technology today would not exist without his visions.

 

Called the “Wizard of Light and Sound,” Edison did more than simply capture light and sound. He established the industrial research lab and the electric power company. Not only that, but Edison’s improved transmitter for telephones replaced Bell’s. (Note 1.) By improving the telegraph, he became responsible for the stock ticker. Rechargeable batteries for electric cars are another Edison invention. (My favorite is the electric bug zapper.) In his works, Edison laid the framework for the modern world.

 

Edison was unique among inventors. By not only dreaming visions not yet thought of by others, he made those dreams come true. By seeing the whole picture, Edison could imagine the potential for something to become much more. This is evident in not only discovering a better filament for the light bulb but also the system for the convenient power to turn that bulb on.

 

Resilient and optimistic, Edison took risks and did not fear failure. One vision, he had was to capture sound. Although he was profoundly deaf, he invented the phonograph. After the phonograph, Edison captured sight with his motion picture camera, and established the film studio. His insights led to the “talking” movies of today.

 

This was a visionary who worked hard to create his vision. Edison said, “Results! Why man, I have gotten a lot of results. I know several thousand things that won’t work.” He believed that his deafness allowed him to concentrate more easily on inventing. Always experimenting, Edison said, “There’s a way to do it better. Find it.”

 

These are the qualities of a diviner: to see the future and wonder how to achieve it. Edison found answers to problems that people did not conceive. Not satisfied with one answer, Edison tried to find multiple answers to each problem. Diviners see multiple futures, and multiple paths to those futures. Edison was not always successful, but he never stopped trying. He strove to provide as a compete answer from different perspectives. This is what diviners do.

 

Notes:

 

Note 1. Alexander Graham Bell invented the original telephone. Edison improved it. Moreover, his carbon telephone transmitter was used well into the 1980s.

 

Works Used:

Clayton, Matt, “Thomas Edison.” Captivating History: Independently Published. 2017.

Klein, Christopher, “When Edison Turned Night Into Day,” 31 May 2023, HISTORY. https://www.history.com/news/when-edison-turned-night-into-day.

History.com Editors, “Thomas Edison,” 17 October, 2023, HISTORY. https://www.history.com/topics/inventions/thomas-edison.

Oy, Kolme Korkeudet, “Thomas Edison, the One who Changed the World.” The History Hour: Independently Published. 2018.

—, “Thomas Edison: A Life From Beginning to End.” Hourly History: Independently Published. 2017.