INVENTORS

INVENTORS

1. THOMAS EDISON

   • Born 11.2.1847
     • Died 18.10.1931 age 84
       • By the time he had died he had amassed a record 1093 patents
         • 389 for electric light, power
           • 195 for the phonograph
             • 150 for the telegraph
               • 1870 - 1875 he worked out of Newark, New Jersey where he developed telegraph related products for Western Union Telegraph Company and their rivals
             • 141 for storage batteries
               • 34 for the telephone
     • From his early 30's he was known as a genius inventor
       • 1 of 7 children but only 1 of 4 to survive
         • He had hearing difficulties most of his life
           • His first invention was the PHONOGRAPH and this is what made him famous
             • From there he went on to invent many things
               • Movie camera - with his first film being of a person sneezing
                 • Opened the first movie studio in the world and made one of the first recordings of Frankenstein
               • Underwater telephone
                 • Talking Doll
                   • Alkaline battery originally for the phonograph but later used for submarines and vehicles
                     • One other thing he is famous for is the lightbulb
                       • He did not invent this but went onto improve it into what we have today
                         • He went on to invent generators, wires and switches to power them

2. LEONARDO DA VINCI

   • Born 15.4.1452
     • Died 2.5.1519 age 64
   • 1500's invented early robot 'Robot Knight'
     • He also invented scuba gear in this time
   • Most famous for his Flying Machine
     • He had lots of ideas for these. Even though the first helicopter wasn't built until the 1940's it is believed his sketches from the late 15th century detailed a predecessor to what we have now
   • Designed weapons, cannons and fortifications in times of war for Duke Ludovico to preserve our freedom
   • Some of his other inventions were the parachute, submarine and scissors
   • He was also a famous painter and painted the Mona Lisa which he told the French King his wasn't finished as he wanted to keep it for himself
   • He wrote backwards

3. GEORGE STEPHENSON

   • Born 9.6.1781
     • Died 12.8.1848 age 67
   • Famous for inventing the railway and trains
     • Built the first locomotive 'Blucher' in 1814 designed for hauling coal from Killingworth Colliery near New Castle.
       • 8 wagons could haul up to 30 tons of coal travelling at 4 mile per hour
   • 1815 invented the minor's safety lamp nick named 'Geordie'
   • 1821 appointed engineer for the Stockton and Darlington Railway
   • 1825 First passenger travel by steam train
     • 450 people went 25 miles at 15 miles per hour from Darlington to Stockton
   • When he was 17 he got a job as his Dad's boss
   • 1827 George and his son invented their most famous steam train 'The Rocket'
     • It won the Rain Hill Trials - a competition to see which train runs best
   • 1812 Modified the steam engine by doubling pressure and also appointed chief mechanic at Killingworth
   • Drove his first train 'The North Umbrian' with the Prime Minister and MP on board
   • He never learned to spell properly but went to night school at 18 to learn to read. By the time he was 19 he could write his name