Edison, Thomas Alva, 1847-1931, American inventor; b. Milan, Ohio. Edison was
a genius in the practical application of scientific principles and one of the
most productive inventors of his Time-despite only three months of formal schooling and an increasing deafness
throughout most of his life. Among his most important inventions were the Carbon Microphone (1877), the Record Player (patented 1878), and the Kinetoscope (used in
Motion Pictures). His most significant contributions, however, were his development
of the first commercially practical Incandescent lamp (1879) and his design for a complete electrical Distribution system for Lighting and Power, culminating in the installation (1881-82) of the world's first central
electric-Light power plant in New York City. His New Jersey workshops (at Menlo Park and
West Orange) were forerunners of the modern industrial research laboratory, in
which teams of workers, rather than a lone inventor, systematically investigate a
problem.