Kevin Lipinski
Mr. Annarelli
US History II
October 26, 2005
"The Wizard of Menlo Park"
Thomas Alva Edison or Al as he was usually called was the seventh and last child born to Sam and Nancy Edison in 1847 in Milan, Ohio. Edison's father dabbled in a number of things from lumber to real estate, none of them proved very profitable. As a result, the family's financial state was very shaky.
Young Al was a sickly child and when combined with his talent for mischief which got him into constant trouble, he probably only attended school for a few months. His mother was very protective and took over his education. By the time he was twelve Edison had absorbed such classics as Gibbons Decline of the Roman Empire, the Dictionary of Sciences and other technical work. Reading prompted experimenting and before he was in his teens Al arranged a shelf of boxes and bottles in his cellar his "laboratory", where he conducted "tests", and "research".
Edison found work as a newsboy on a......
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