Visionary: Thomas Edison
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931) was a man of influence, intelligence, and perseverance. In his lifetime, he and teams under his influence or supervision worked on more than a thousand projects that ultimately received United States patents. He is known for a host of inventions, including the phonograph, the electric light bulb, the fluoroscope, and a moving picture camera. He has influenced over 20 industries, including the fields of medicine, finance, national defense, and mining.
Edison would never have achieved his career building goals had he not been a man of vision. His first invention, a vote recorder that sped up the counting of votes for assemblies and meetings, did not sell, and shortly thereafter, he swore to himself to never attempt to invent anything unless he was sure there was a commercial demand for it.
What a career building move that was! Practically every invention he came up with had a clear, tangible use for society. The first invention after his vote recorder was a stock ticker that brought brokers Wall Street quotations quickly and efficiently. He discovered 'etheric force' which revealed the existence of the electromagnetic wave and led to the invention of the radio. His Menlo Park Laboratory, the first organized technical research lab, birthed the mimeograph machine, the phonograph, and, most famously, the lightbulb.
He invented devices that could detect torpedoes; telephones that could carry on conversation in the heat of war; glare eliminators to make it possible to spot periscopes in the water; and the fluoroscope, a device that enables surgeons to perform the first X-Ray operation.
Edison even dabbled in movie-making after he invented the practical movie camera. After the industry started to use his invention for entertainment and not education, he quit the industry, saying he was an inventor and experimenter, not a theatrical producer. "And I had no ambitions to become one," he added.
Thomas Edison knew what he was (an inventor). He also knew what he wanted to invent (inventions that would have a clear use in society). He stuck to his creed of creating useful and wanted inventions; his drive and work ethic helped change the world.
What about you? Do you have a career building vision of a particular need that you can fill? | 0 comments
