Thomas A. Edison

Thomas A. Edison

Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman who has been described as America's greatest inventor. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventions, which include the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and the long-lasting, practical electric light bulb, have had a widespread impact on the modern industrialized world. He was one of the first inventors to apply the principles of organized science and teamwork to the process of invention, working with many researchers and employees. He established the first industrial research laboratory. Edison was raised in the American Midwest; early in his career he worked as a telegraph operator, which inspired some of his earliest inventions. In 1876, he established his first laboratory facility in Menlo Park, New Jersey, where many of his early inventions were developed. He later established a botanic laboratory in Fort Myers, Florida in collaboration with businessmen Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone, and a laboratory in West Orange, New Jersey that featured the world's first film studio, the Black Maria. He was a prolific inventor, holding 1,093 US patents in his name, as well as patents in other countries. Edison married twice and fathered six children. He died in 1931 of the complications of diabetes.

  • Title: Thomas A. Edison
  • Popularity: 2.166
  • Known For: Production
  • Birthday: 1847-02-11
  • Place of Birth: Milan, Ohio, USA
  • Homepage:
  • Also Known As: Thomas Alva Edison, Thomas Edison, The Wizard of Menlo Park
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Thomas A. Edison Movies

  • 2005
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    Edison: The Invention of the Movies

    Edison: The Invention of the Movies

    7 2005 HD

    A history of the Edison Company, the pioneering film production company begun by Thomas A. Edison. Included are more than 140 complete films produced...

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  • 1942
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    The Film That Was Lost

    The Film That Was Lost

    8 1942 HD

    In this John Nesbitt's Passing Parade short, a look is taken at the problems of film preservation efforts in the 1930s and early 1940s.

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  • 1897
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    Mr. Edison at Work in His Chemical Laboratory

    Mr. Edison at Work in His Chemical Laboratory

    5.1 1897 HD

    “This film is remarkable in several respects. In the first place, it is full life-size. Secondly, it is the only accurate recent portrait of...

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  • 1922
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    A Day with Thomas A. Edison

    A Day with Thomas A. Edison

    1 1922 HD

    A six-part documentary recording the 74-year-old Edison's collaborations with his staff, conversations with industrial leaders, and supervision of...

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  • 1909
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    Meeting of the Motion Pictures Patents Company

    Meeting of the Motion Pictures Patents Company

    1 1909 HD

    A short film in which the members of the Motion Pictures Patents Company (which had been founded only a year earlier) congratulate Thomas Edison...

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  • 1950
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    The Golden Twenties

    The Golden Twenties

    1 1950 HD

    Feature-length compilation of 1920s newsreel footage, with commentary about news, sports, lifestyles, and historical figures.

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  • 2019
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    Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound

    Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound

    6.8 2019 HD

    The history of cinematic sound, told by legendary sound designers and visionary filmmakers.

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  • 2019
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    The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley

    The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley

    7.1 2019 HD

    With a magical new invention that promised to revolutionize blood testing, Elizabeth Holmes became the world’s youngest self-made billionaire,...

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  • 2008
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    Murnau, Borzage and Fox

    Murnau, Borzage and Fox

    7 2008 HD

    Documentary focusing on the film careers F.W. Murnau, Frank Borzage and William Fox and their impact on the history of cinema.

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  • 2015
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    Edison

    Edison

    6.8 2015 HD

    By the time he died in 1931, Thomas Alva Edison was one of the most famous men in the world. The holder of more patents than any other inventor in...

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  • 1998
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    Star Power: The Creation Of United Artists

    Star Power: The Creation Of United Artists

    1 1998 HD

    The careers of D.W. Griffith, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and Charlie Chaplin are chronicled culminating in the formation of United Artists and...

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  • 1982
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    Before the Nickelodeon: The Cinema of Edwin S. Porter

    Before the Nickelodeon: The Cinema of Edwin S. Porter

    5.7 1982 HD

    A documentary overview of the career of silent cinema pioneer Edwin S. Porter.

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  • 1946
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    Okay for Sound

    Okay for Sound

    5 1946 HD

    This short was released in connection with the 20th anniversary of Warner Brothers' first exhibition of the Vitaphone sound-on-film process on 6...

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  • 2011
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    The Extraordinary Voyage

    The Extraordinary Voyage

    7.8 2011 HD

    An account of the extraordinary life of film pioneer Georges Méliès (1861-1938) and the amazing story of the copy in color of his...

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  • 1995
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    The Shadow of Hate: A History of Intolerance in America

    The Shadow of Hate: A History of Intolerance in America

    6.3 1995 HD

    The film expresses the history of oppression, discrimination, violence and hate in America. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best...

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  • 1990
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    The Crash of 1929

    The Crash of 1929

    1 1990 HD

    Based on eight years of continued prosperity, presidents and economists alike confidently predicted that America would soon enter a time when there...

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  • 2002
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    Naqoyqatsi

    Naqoyqatsi

    6.125 2002 HD

    A visual montage portrait of our contemporary world dominated by globalized technology and violence.

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  • 1899
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    Bicycle Trick Riding, No. 2

    Bicycle Trick Riding, No. 2

    4.9 1899 HD

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  • 1901
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    The Trick Cyclist

    The Trick Cyclist

    4.429 1901 HD

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  • 2022
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    Copyright Comedies and More. From the Library of Congress

    Copyright Comedies and More. From the Library of Congress

    1 2022 HD

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  • 1909
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    Meeting of the Motion Pictures Patents Company

    Meeting of the Motion Pictures Patents Company

    1 1909 HD

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  • 1903
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    Electrocuting an Elephant

    Electrocuting an Elephant

    2.685 1903 HD

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  • 1904
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    Parsifal

    Parsifal

    1 1904 HD

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  • 1914
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    The Patchwork Girl of Oz

    The Patchwork Girl of Oz

    5 1914 HD

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  • 1909
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    Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

    Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

    1 1909 HD

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  • 1913
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    The Musical Blacksmiths

    The Musical Blacksmiths

    1 1913 HD

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  • 1913
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    The Edison Kinetophone

    The Edison Kinetophone

    1 1913 HD

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  • 1913
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    Jack's Joke

    Jack's Joke

    5 1913 HD

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  • 1904
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    Herding Horses Across a River

    Herding Horses Across a River

    6 1904 HD

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  • 1910
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    Frankenstein

    Frankenstein

    6.044 1910 HD

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  • 1903
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    A Jewish Dance at Jerusalem

    A Jewish Dance at Jerusalem

    1 1903 HD

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  • 1897
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    Admiral Cigarette

    Admiral Cigarette

    7.5 1897 HD

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  • 1901
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    President McKinley Taking the Oath

    President McKinley Taking the Oath

    4.679 1901 HD

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  • 1903
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    Chicago-Michigan Football Game

    Chicago-Michigan Football Game

    4 1903 HD

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  • 1898
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    Officers and Crew of the U.S. Cruiser 'Brooklyn'

    Officers and Crew of the U.S. Cruiser 'Brooklyn'

    1 1898 HD

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  • 1904
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    Canoeing on the Charles River, Boston, Mass.

    Canoeing on the Charles River, Boston, Mass.

    6 1904 HD

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  • 1895
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    The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots

    The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots

    6.2 1895 HD

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  • 1899
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    General Lee's Procession, Havana

    General Lee's Procession, Havana

    2.7 1899 HD

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  • 1899
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    New York Police Parade, June 1st, 1899

    New York Police Parade, June 1st, 1899

    3 1899 HD

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  • 1902
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    Cutting and Canaling Ice

    Cutting and Canaling Ice

    6 1902 HD

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  • 2020
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    History 101

    History 101

    7.1 2020 HD

    Infographics and archival footage deliver bite-size history lessons on scientific breakthroughs, social movements and world-changing discoveries.

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  • 1964
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    Horizon

    Horizon

    7.3 1964 HD

    Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.

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  • 1978
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    Encyclopédie audiovisuelle du cinéma

    Encyclopédie audiovisuelle du cinéma

    1 1978 HD

    Produced for television by Claude-Jean Philippe, the « Encyclopédie audiovisuelle du cinéma », recounts the history of...

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