Thomas Edison - West Orange, NJ - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

Thomas Edison holds more U.S. patents (1093) than anyone else. Whereas most inventors focus on one particular area, Edison’s patents run the gamut from lightbulbs to locomotives, from acoustic telegraphs to weber meters with batteries and cement thrown in for good measure. Most of these represented improvements over existing products including the light bulb for which he is most famous. His true stroke of genius was the invention of the phonograph in 1877. It’s what earned him the nickname ‘Wizard of Menlo Park.’

Edison was born and raised in the Midwest (Ohio and Michigan) and was largely self-taught. An early job in the telegraph industry led to several early inventions involving improvements to telegraph equipment and related devices. It seems as though Edison wanted to make a career out of inventing things and after a move to the New York City area, he set up a laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey. This was the forerunner of modern research and development facilities.

It was at Menlo Park where Edison did most of his work on electric lighting systems. Today at the site, there’s a large commemorative tower with a stylized light bulb at the top. Menlo Park is also where the phonograph was invented as well as improvements to the telephone and Edison’s work on electric power transmission. This latter effort was marred by Edison’s insistence on direct current which eventually lost out to the more efficient alternating current. In spite of this, many power companies today still have ‘Edison’ in their name.

In 1884 Thomas Edison purchased a home in West Orange, NJ which was called ‘Glenmont.’ He also built a much larger laboratory complex in West Orange. The West Orange complex featured the world’s first motion picture studio. Besides motion pictures, the West Orange facility saw much work in batteries, metallurgy, chemical research and electric and electronic product development.

Thomas Edison died in 1931 at the age of 84. He is buried behind his home in West Orange. Today, the Edison home and West Orange laboratory form the Thomas Edison National Historical Park. Tours are available for both the laboratory complex and the Edison home which is about a half mile away from the lab site.
(Source: history.com)

Description: See Long Description above. Date of birth: 02/11/1847 Date of death: 10/18/1931 Area of notoriety: Science/Technology Marker Type: Horizontal Marker Setting: Outdoor Visiting Hours/Restrictions: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, Fri, Sat and Sun only Fee required?: Yes Web site: [Web Link]

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