The next time you turn on a light, your computer, the tv, or anything else that takes electricity to run, think about what life would be like without electricity.

Thomas Edison was born in Milan, Ohio, on February 11, 1847. When he was seven, his family moved to Port Huron, Michigan.

Thomas didn't have much formal education. His mother, Nancy, a former school teacher taught him at home. She knew her son loved chemistry and encouraged him to experiment. She gave him books on the subject and allowed him to start a laboratory in the basement.

As a young boy, Thomas was fascinated by the steam engines that pulled the train from Port Huron to Detroit. Being an adventuresome lad, when he was twelve Thomas got a job selling magazines, newspapers and candy on the trains. Since there was a five hour wait in Detroit before the train began its journey home, Thomas was allowed to move his laboratory into a box car. One day when he was conducting an experiment, the train lurched. The chemicals he was using spilled and a fire broke out. That was the end of his box car laboratory.

Thomas didn't give up. He continued to do experiments when he could. Then one day, his future changed. A small girl fell into the path of an oncoming train. Thomas rescued her. As a reward, the girl's father taught Thomas how to operate the telegraph. He loved it. He quit his job on the trains and became a telegraph operator. He sent messages from the United States to Canada.

Thomas saw that the telegraph had much room for improvement. He begin to experiment. He invented the duplex telegraph, the automatic telegraph, and the message printer. After this, he decided to become a full time inventor. He'd learned how to wire circuits, how batteries worked and lots of other useful things during his time at the telegraph office. In 1868, he patented an electric vote recorder in Boston.

In 1871, Thomas opened a factory and laboratory in Newark, New Jersey. While there, he invented the universal stock ticker. He built a new laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey in 1876.

From 1878 to 1880, Thomas and his associates worked on hundreds of ideas to develop a lamp that used electricity to heat a filament (thin strip of material) so hot that it glowed. He employed glass blowers to make the fragile bulbs that he used in his experiments. He wanted to invent small electric light bulbs that could be used to light homes.

Thomas and his Menlo Park workers invented a telephone transmitter, an electric pen, the quadruplex telegraph system, the phonograph and the electric light bulb. The light bulb was a brilliant idea. It allowed people to get rid of gas lights, which often caused fires.

Thomas continued his experiments on the light bulb. He wanted it to be the best that it could be. He was having trouble with the filament. It burned out quickly. After testing 1600 different materials, he found that filaments made of carbonized bamboo burned the longest. This was important. He didn't want bulbs that people used in their homes to burn out too quickly.

Thomas used his knowledge of gas lamps and electricity to invent an electrical lighting system. It included a generator to make the electricity, wiring, switches, sockets and plugs. It was much like the system we have in place today, except it was much more primitive.

Thomas Edison was the most famous inventor of his time. He knew famous people such as Alexander Graham Bell (telephone) Henry Ford, (automobile) and Harvey Firestone (rubber tires.)

Today, we are able to heat our homes, use modern appliances and enjoy home entertainment, thanks to Thomas' electrical lighting system. However, his most brilliant idea was the light bulb. Thank you, Thomas Edison.