Watch a silent short of Thomas Edison, who invented the phonograph and incandescent electric light
Thomas Edison, seen late in life in this video, was the most famous inventor in American history. Though he is best known for his invention of the phonograph and incandescent electric light, Edison took out 1,093 patents in a variety of fields, including electric light and power, telephony and telegraphy, and sound recording. His public image as a homespun, untutored genius actually concealed a thinker who was quite systematic and methodical and who collaborated closely with machinists, designers, and scientists in his laboratory at Menlo Park, N.J.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Johannes Gutenberg invented one of the first printing presses using movable type.Media Editor: Miranda Chabot
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Muslim women working in a factory.
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NASA/Dryden Research Aircraft Movie CollectionA U.S. Air Force KC-135A Stratotanker taking off during a test of experimental winglets, mid-1970s.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Learn about how potential energy and kinetic energy are harnessed to generate electricity through facilities such as the Aswan High Dam.
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Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, MainzLearn about lightning and thunder.
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Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division, Washington, D.C.Strip Kinetograph recording of Fred Ott sneezing, 1894.
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Public Domain VideoMark Twain at Stormfield, his home in Connecticut, with his daughters Clara and Jean; excerpt from a silent movie shot by Thomas Edison, 1909.
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This was once Edison Day. We re-visit his creepy talking doll
• Oct. 21, 2026, 4:42 PM ET (NPR)
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