From Night to Day - A Legacy of an American Inventor

"Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety nine percent Perspiration". -Thomas Edison 

Isn't it incredible how much life of humans have  revolutionalized in recent years compared to the past century?

The founder of Ali baba,  Jack Ma made a fascinating affirmation in one of his accounts on the idea stages of his multinational e-commerce company . 

 "It took me about three hours to download a document on the Internet in china 15years ago"

What may have accounted for this massive advancement may be science and technology as many people often point out, but he gave an opinion that may sound like a figure of speech. Technology he says does not drive the world, people's dreams  do.

To what extent do you agree with his statement?

The classic dream of a determined American scientist and inventor contributed a shoulder to some of the advancements we see today.

Imagine for a second how the world would look if Thomas Edison never walked the surface of this earth. 

 A fair acknowledgement of inventors must predate the 21st century to the foundations and processes laid from the past centuries which have a massive impact on the rapid development of science and technology today. 

It can be said that the one minute mile of invention was covered by the ancestors of modern day inventors who make a significantly long list. Up until their achievements the field of invention remained literally speaking a fallow ground. 

Though not the earliest but quite notable is Thomas Edison for his achievements in the area.

The American inventor was born on February 11, 1847. He was determined to light the world which he met in darkness at night in the most practical way. 

One of his breakthroughs was the design of a layout of the light bulb which was longlasting and widely useful. 

Contrary to popular opinion Thomas Edison did not invent the light bulb. 

 "Edison was one of a half dozen who were putting the elements of a viable lighting system together in those years, and since Edison was late to the race, he benefited from all his predecessors and rivals,” Freeberg a historian and author at the university of Tennesse explains.

It is often remembered of him that despite his 1,000 unsuccessful attempts he maintained the steam to achieve his goal in the 1,001st attempt. Sounds like an emotional movie. 

His response when asked about his multiple  failed attempts in his incandescent light bulb project sends streams of positive energy down the spine of everyone who hears it.

" I have not failed, every one of the 1,000 attempts got me one step closer to the right answer ". Edison explained.

He viewed unsuccessful attempts not as failure but as feedback. 

Thomas was a firm believer in the virtue of hard work. Writings about him indicate that some instances he worked for nearly 20 hours a day. 

Among his work was the improvement on the designs of the stock ticker machine and the telephone. 

He developed the kinetoscope which was a box for viewing moving film. 

His approach to invention was  phenomenal and broadly minded. He was so determined to carve a wide space in his passion. 

 When Edison raised enormous capital, Enest Freeberg explains, for a laboratory in Menlo Park, N.J., and hired a staff of several dozen, each with distinct talents, he pioneered what became the modern corporate research and development process,”

 In his career as a scientist and inventor he acquired 1,093 United states patents under his initiatives. 

Approximately 600 other works were either rejected or incomplete.

For those who are yet to come to terms with his ground breaking success and Contrary to some critics about his work, Ernest Freeman captures the philosophy of Edison about invention. This is the hidden wind that flamed much to the success of his inventions which is worth internalizing by anyone who seek to dominate in business. 

  “An invention not only has to work fairly well, but it has to be something that the market wants and can afford to buy". 

Some of Thomas Edison's work were improvements upon the work of others who came before him but his  largely successful projects raised the bar for his successors. 

By the time he died in 1931, life was much easier than he had come to meet it. That's a legacy.