ThomasAlvaEdison is a world-famous American electrician and inventor. Throughout human history, we can find that there are many people who made inventions or discoveries in the history of science and technology, but there are so many inventions like Thomas Alva Edison, who lived for 84 years, but few people dedicated their lives to inventions with perseverance and dedication. Because of this, enthusiastic people describe this talented inventor in a somewhat legendary way. What's more, they try their best to "invent" some new things in his past history. So, what are the characteristics of Edison's biography? Under what circumstances did he grow up? What are the characteristics of his boyhood? A curious child A biographer once said, "The greater the thinker, the more obvious the characteristics of the times in his biography, and the more naturally his biography will become history." As we know, "18th century is the era of rationality,19th century is the era of science, and 20th century is the era when science comprehensively intervenes in all aspects of human life." Thomas Alva Edison was born in the age of science. He was born in February 1847+0 1. Edison's life is intertwined with the process of American modernization. This is a period of rapid technological development in the United States and Europe. The booming American economy needs to make extensive use of advanced science and technology to further develop productive forces, and Edison is a great inventor in this scientific era. Some people say of America's greatest inventor: "Edison didn't invent history, but his invention was icing on the cake." Edison was born in Milan, Ohio in the midwest of the United States. At that time, Milan Town was a famous wheat distribution center. Wheat in northeast Ohio is transported to the Great Lakes, which is the only place to pass, and the export of the rich Lake Huron is also here. One company extended the voyage from the estuary by several kilometers, and the rest was used to dig a clumsy canal, which could pass through ships with a load of 250 tons. This place is called "Odessa in the West" because it is an export place of grain. So the shipbuilding industry is also very developed, which makes this town very prosperous. About the family of America's greatest inventor, there is a legend that Edison's family is penniless. In fact, this is not in line with historical facts. HenryFord, the American car king, wrote, "Ai's family is not really poor. In other words, they always eat well and live well. People say that Edison was born in abject poverty, which is simply nonsense. " Al's ancestors were Dutch and moved to the United States from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on 1728. Al's grandfather, John Edison, supported the British army in the American Revolution. Soon the British army was defeated, so John had to take his family to Nova Scotia, Canada. He made a living by farming there and settled down. His son, SamuelEdison, Al's father, runs a hotel business in Venna, a city on Lake Erie, and his life is not bad. There is a female teacher named Nancy in this city. She is a Canadian of Scottish descent. Because of her earnest teaching, she is highly respected by the citizens. She attracted the admiration of little Samuel, so the hotel owner began to propose to her. Later, their love grew day by day and finally reached the boiling point, and they got married on 1828. After they got married, they lived in this city for a while before moving out. This time, they migrated again in a "prairie carriage" and settled in Milan, Ohio, USA. Samuel manages the manufacture and sale of roof tiles here, and the business is not bad. The couple live a happy life. His house is a red brick bungalow with a top floor. The house is located at the foot of the mountain, and its appearance is simple and generous. Nancy has had seven children since she got married. Nancy gave birth to four children before her family moved to Milan. Since then, she has given birth to three more children. Edison is the seventh and last son born to his mother. Edison was named Thomas after his ancestors. Because his father had a good personal relationship with Captain Alva Bradley, he borrowed the captain's name Alva. Edison's full name is Thomas Alva Edison. Everyone around him calls him Alva, and his mother likes to call him Al. They lived in this simple town until Al was seven years old. But this city is unforgettable for Al. Although he doesn't fully remember everything about the city, the pointed roof, spacious courtyard leaves and towering trees in front of his house will remain in his mind forever. When he is old, he still remembers these scenes clearly. There are many anecdotes and legends about Al Junior in Milan. Some people say that he is a different child. First of all, the little guy almost never cries after birth, but always laughs. Gray eyes, shiny, look smart, but the head is particularly big, the body is very weak, and looks very fragile. He is often interested in some objects and then tries to catch them with his hands. His mouth and eyes will move, just like an adult thinking. He never stops what he has decided to do. As soon as he learned to walk, he didn't need any help. The child's hair is sparse and stands on end. It is not obedient at all, and it is ugly. Father cut his hair when he felt uncomfortable, which made it even uglier, and mother frowned. At the age of 3, Alva cut her hair with her fingers like an adult thinking. Al is different. Not only that. Children are curious when they are young and like to ask questions. The difference is that "Al is more curious than ordinary children, has an instinct to put what others tell him into experiments, and has twice the energy and creative spirit of others." As far as people can remember, he learned to speak as if he were asking a question. Some of the questions he asked were not important, but they were not easy to answer. Because he asked so many questions, most people in his family didn't even want to answer them. But his mother always tries her best to help him. Once he asked his father, "Why is it windy?" Samuel Edison replied, "Al, I don't know". Al asked again, "Why don't you know?" He is not only curious and inquisitive, but also wants to try everything himself. Once, when it was time for dinner, Edison still didn't come back. My parents are worried and look around. It was not until the evening that I found him in the hut next to the yard. Seeing him lying motionless in the haystack with many eggs, his father asked very strangely, "What are you doing?" Little Edison replied unhurriedly, "I'm incubating chickens!" " "It turned out that he was surprised to see that hens could hatch chicks, and he always wanted to try it himself. At that time, his father pulled him up with anger and laughter and told others not to hatch chickens. On the way home, he asked doubtfully, "Why can hens hatch chicks and I can't?"? "Because Al is interested in many things, he is often in danger. Once, he went to the house where wheat was stored and accidentally bumped into the wheat barn. Wheat can't move with his head buried. He almost died, but fortunately, he was found in time, grabbed Al's foot and pulled him out. Another time, he fell into the water and was pulled up like a drowned rat. He's scared himself. When he was 4 years old, he wanted to see what was in the wild beehive on the fence, so he stabbed it with a branch, and his face was so red and swollen that he could hardly open his eyes. Al often goes to the mill in sam winchester. One day, he went to Winchester's mill and saw Winchester experimenting with flying devices with balloons, which fascinated Al. He thought that if a person's stomach is full of gas, he will definitely ascend to heaven. How beautiful it would be! A few days later, he put several chemicals together and told MichaelOates, an assistant of his father, that he ate them and flew away. Oates almost fainted after eating the chemicals prepared by Al. Al seems to think that Oates' failure to fly is Oates' failure, not his failure. This incident not only made Al's parents feel headache, but also shocked the parents of nearby children. They warned their children: "Don't play with Al!" " "After listening to their parents' warnings, the children dare not stay with Al any more. Even if Al invited them, they just looked at him in fear and didn't dare to go near him. Sometimes some bold children even insult Al by singing: Al, Al, strange children; Al, Al, he is a fool; We don't play with Al anymore. Al was whipped by his father for doing these things. His father thought that only by flogging Al could he get out of trouble. His mother also thinks that if the child does something wrong and you don't whip him, he is not a good person. She didn't want this to happen to Al again. Although Al was flogged, it didn't stop him from being interested in everything. He worked in the fields when he was six years old. Love of observation, love of thinking and love of searching for roots are the keys to his understanding of the novel world. There are big elm trees and red maple trees at the intersection in the middle of the village, so he went to observe how those trees grow; There are many beautiful signs in the shops along the street, and he also wants to copy them carefully and even draw them. His strong thirst for knowledge and desire to do experiments often bring him trouble. Once, he played on his father's farm and set fire to his father's warehouse to see what would happen. As a result, the warehouse turned to ashes. What Al did was too bad and dangerous to be ignored. For this reason, Al was beaten even harder than before. Al is not angry with his father. Since then, he never seems to take pain seriously. Before long, Al was in trouble again. Once, he swam with another boy. After a while, Al found him here alone. He waited for the boy to turn around, but he didn't see the boy come back for a long time. Al went home alone without saying a word about what happened. His parents woke him up in the middle of the night and asked him what happened to his friend. Al said, "I waited and waited, and he will never come back." His partner was later found drowned. Al doesn't know that he should tell others what happened. At this time, his father began to think that Al was a little abnormal, and Samuel was always worried about what trouble his son would bring to others. When Edison was seven years old, something happened that had a great influence on his development. 1854, the railway along the south bank of Lake Erie was opened to traffic, which greatly reduced the merchant business of Milan Canal and changed the business content. Samuel's tile business is no longer sustainable, and their life is getting worse. In order to seek another development, the Edison family moved again, but this time they didn't use sailboats and ox carts. After they took the train to Detroit, they boarded the Ruby the next morning. They walked for a day by the Lake St. Clay, and then walked all the way up the saint clair river. There are dense forests and wild animals on both sides of the river. The children ran on the deck for a while, then rushed into the cabin and looked at the scenery on both sides. They were ecstatic when they met Indian canoes or white-bottomed boats full of wood. They settled in Greedy Otterborg, a suburb north of Lake Huron, Michigan. Shortly after moving here, Al got scarlet fever and was ill for a long time. So, his mother didn't send him to school that year. He had to stay with his mother and play alone. Later, Al became deaf, and people thought that this disease was the reason for his deafness. Samuel's new house in Lake Huron was built on the high ground of pine forest, and he could see the saint clair river flowing out of Lake Huron. This house has more than a dozen rooms, behind which there is a stable, 4 hectares of separate building land and 40 hectares of orchard. Samuel manages wood manufacturing and wheat trading here, and also grows vegetables. He sold the vegetables and fruits produced in the orchard to the market and did a lot of business. Although he is no longer a wealthy businessman in Milan, he is more than enough to maintain a family of three. This place has beautiful mountains and rivers and beautiful scenery. Samuel also plans to build a tower on his highland for people to visit the lakes and mountains, at a cost of 25 cents per person. After the tower was built, advertisements were posted at the station. The tower is about 30 meters high. Standing on the tower, you can overlook the water and sky of the blue Lake Huron and gradually disappear in the south. There are steam turbines, high-masted ships and various ships coming and going in the lake, and the scenery is changeable and unpredictable. There are so many visitors that they have to queue up every day. Al became the small manager of the tower and charged everyone who visited it. When there are many tourists, it can reach 600 people every day, so Al is very busy. After a few days, the number of visitors decreased day by day, and Al felt bored. Al said to his father, "Dad, quarters are too expensive. If the price is reduced, maybe someone will come again. " Samuel accepted Al's suggestion and reduced the cost to 10 cent, but not many people came to visit. Al thought of another way. He said, "Dad, how about installing a telescope at the top of the tower?" Dad said, "Good idea!" Telescopes were quickly installed in the tower, but the number of tourists still did not increase. In this way, the business of this tower will never go on. Al became idle. However, while managing the tower, he became interested in his work. Al said to his parents, "I want to go to town to sell vegetables." My parents didn't agree at first, but because Al repeatedly promised his parents that he would bear hardships and go all out, his parents agreed. Al used his car to transport the vegetables grown at home to town to sell. Everyone is very friendly to Al. Carrots, potatoes and cabbages sell well. Al is honest, not selling bad things, and the price is generally cheaper than others. After a while, Al bought fruit from other farmers for resale. Business was booming, and Al couldn't do it alone, so he hired a teenager to help. Al earns more than 500 yuan a year by selling vegetables. Because his family moved from one city to another and because of his illness, Al didn't start school until he was 8 years old. Into the school, there is only one class; Both the principal and the teacher are Mr Engel. The school curriculum is rigid and teachers often punish students. The teacher's class is boring and can't arouse everyone's interest. Therefore, he never sat in the chair correctly. The teacher is lecturing on the platform, and he walks under it, sometimes going outside. Sometimes, he will collect things discarded by people nearby, make some strange things, bring them into the classroom, and play all day, completely ignoring what the teacher said on the stage. For a long time, the teacher had a headache because he often interfered with other people's classes. Because of his curious personality, Al is very stubborn on academic issues. If a question is not answered, he won't go on to the next topic. Therefore, teachers who don't understand his character regard him as a "slow" student and condemn him as an "idiot" and "imbecile". Once in an arithmetic class, the teacher talked about the addition of a number. Many students listened quietly. Only Al suddenly raised his hand and asked, "Two plus two, why is it equal to four? He asked the teacher tongue-tied, and there was really no way to answer. In this way, after studying at school for less than three months, the teacher called her mother and said to her, "Alva doesn't study hard at all, and always asks some ridiculous questions." "Yesterday in arithmetic class, he actually asked me why two plus two equals four. Don't you think it's crazy? I think this child is really stupid. Staying at school will only hinder other students, so don't go to school. " His mother said angrily, "I think Al is smarter than most children of his age. I will teach my Al, he will never come here again! " "When she walked out of the school with her children, her heart was sad and her eyes began to cry. She never admits that her child is an imbecile. Because at this time she was working as a teacher in a girls' school, and she was a person with rich educational experience. According to her usual observation, Al is not an imbecile, but has always shown excellent quality. After being stimulated, Edison's mother decided to fully educate Al and make him the first person in the world. When he got home, his mother asked him, "Are you ashamed that Mr. Wang said you were an inferior student?" Edison cleverly answered his mother's question: "I'm not ashamed, but I'm sorry." He went on to say, "but my husband didn't teach me anything I wanted to know. He just taught me something I didn't want to know." His mother took him and said, "Yes! Mr. Wang says you are an imbecile, but mother doesn't think so. Don't go to school from tomorrow. Today, my mother swore in front of her husband that if you are an imbecile at school, you can't get an education. I always have to educate you at home. Al, I should also take the oath with you today. Mom has made up her mind to make you the first person in the world anyway. Can you swear? " Al said, "Mother, I am willing to make this vow, and I will definitely do something great to make my husband, who now calls me an imbecile, feel chilling." Al's mother went on to say, "From now on, I am your teacher, but I have two constraints." First, you should tell your mother what you want to do first, because what you do is good, but it may hinder others. You know, it is not good to cause trouble to others. Also, stop interfering with others and be a useful person to society when you grow up. You should study hard in the future. Your mother is your teacher. You must listen to my teaching carefully. "Al nodded, his eyes filled with tears, and his mother hugged Al tightly. Mother and son face tears for you, heart tightly tied together. Al only went to school for three months in his life. Since then, his mother has been his "mentor". Edison's mother Nancy made the right decision. Since then, under the personal guidance of his mother, Edison has eagerly absorbed the wisdom of human sages. According to his mother's fixed plan, whether it is winter or summer, he insists on studying while other children are playing every day. A person who was traveling with Edison recalled, "Several of us were having fun in front of the house when an amiable lady came out of the door, dressed very simply and wearing a fashionable lace hat. "She looked at us and shouted kindly,' Thomas Alva, you can come in to class.' The child obeyed silently, followed her in, and looked back at us with pity when she left. In this beautiful summer, it's too hard to be forced to read boring textbooks in my spare time during the holidays! "Although little Al has the nature that children love to play, he is not opposed to his mother's education. Because his mother taught him not only knowledge, but also learning methods. She thinks more thinking is more important than simple memory. As long as Al can read the book, no matter how difficult it is, show it to him. Edison's mother has superb educational ability, and she makes her family full of vitality. In spring, when the trees sprout, she and her son sit in front of the house, having classes while basking in the sun. In summer, when the stars are densely covered and the courtyard is lush, she and her son come to the high watchtower to enjoy the cool and study. In autumn, Edison read Robinson Crusoe, Les Miserables and other classical literary works. In winter, on a cold night, she and her son were teaching around the fire again. She talks about geography, just like taking Edison around the world, crossing the ocean and exploring mountains; She speaks English and pays great attention to laying a good foundation. Especially her teaching of literature made Edison admire victor hugo very much. Even his friends call him victor hugo Edison. In these educations, Edison deeply felt the importance of reading. He said: "Reading is as important to wisdom as gymnastics is to the body." He also believes that his mother is the one who really understands him. Later, Edison said, "I discovered how beneficial loving mothers are at an early age." When the school teacher called me an idiot, she came to the school to defend me. From then on, I decided to win her face and live up to her expectations. She really understands me. " Because of his mother's good educational methods, Al became interested in reading. "He not only reads widely, but also reads all kinds of books." At the age of eight, he read the works of Shakespeare and Dickens, the most important playwrights in the English Renaissance, and many important historical books. By the age of 9, he could quickly read difficult books, such as Nature and Experimental Philosophy written by RichardGreenParker. This book has hundreds of pages, from steam engines to hydrogen balloons. It contains almost all the scientific knowledge about that era, which is a book that middle school graduates also find difficult to read. Giving him this book is like opening a whole new world for him. Edison was so hungry that he read this famous book carefully. Later, Edison recalled: "The Nature Reader was the first science book I read, when I was less than 10 years old." At the age of 10, Al became interested in chemistry. He did the experiment according to Parker's textbook in the cellar of his home in Port Huron. He asked the local shopkeeper for many empty bottles, and later recalled that there were as many as 200. He put different chemicals into the bottle one by one. It is often almost an explosion or other accidents. His parents are both afraid and proud because their children can understand these things. In order not to get into trouble, his right to use the cellar to do experiments was restricted a lot, especially when his sundries were misplaced after the experiment, his mother ordered him to throw all the instruments and medicines out of the door. But after his pleading, she felt sorry for herself and promised him all the time. At first, Al always marked the word "poison" on the bottle as a warning. Later, she found that other children often came to try drugs in private, and felt that there were still many dangers, insisting that he should lock up and hide at any time. Inspired by his mother, Al completed Gibbon's History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Hume's History of England and Hill's History of the World at the age of 65,438+00. He has also read Thomas Paine's works. Soon, Edison was attracted by Paine's opinions and influenced his life. Later, he recalled, "I was inspired by reading great thinkers' discourses on politics and theology." Paine made me understand many new problems. I can clearly remember the feeling of seeing the light after reading Paine's works ... I am very interested in Paine. If reading it once is not enough, I will study it again and again. "He also easily finished reading isaac newton's book Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy. This book taught him to pay attention to practice rather than theory, which is why he later became a great inventor, but his achievements were not recognized by the scientific community for a long time. After reading Newton's masterpieces, Edison began to despise mathematics. This attitude is not because he can see the central links of many problems involving numbers at a glance without the help of mathematics, but because a group of friends of Edison's family helped him explain many problems in the book Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy. Edison later wrote down his opinion: "I immediately came to the conclusion that if Newton knew less about numbers, his knowledge would be broader." "I hated mathematics since then, and I never recovered my affection for it ... I regard numbers as a mathematical tool, which can be used to complete the logical conclusion of reasoning, but it can't help people understand this conclusion." A few years later, he declared, "I'm not a mathematician, but I can take the lead in this field." Next, his words are more appropriate and arrogant. "I can hire mathematicians, but they can't hire me." Edison later surpassed most mathematicians in wealth accumulation because he experimented day and night. In Thomas Alva Edison's childhood, people were as interested in electricity as we are now in space travel. Interested in everything, Al Edison became interested in telegraph power generation. The telegraph is a new thing of great significance. By the age of Al 1 1, a telegraph line had been established between new york and several cities as far away as Chicago, about 800 miles away. The newspaper published the story of a telegraph operator who connected the United States with a telegraph line. Edison 1 1 years old, he experimented with his first telegram. He is sure that he will invent a telegram. However, he needed money to buy electrical appliances, and Samuel Edison's business was not good, and there was no money to do anything and many things he had to do at home. So Edison decided to do farm work and earn hundreds of dollars by selling fresh corn and other things. Thomas Alva Edison died at the age of 1859. This year, the railway trunk line was partially opened to traffic. This line starts in Portland, Maine, and ends in Sagna on the east coast of saint clair river. On the west bank of the river, a ferry connecting Sarnia and Port Huron was opened. At the same time, the north-south single line from Port Huron to Detroit was opened. The railway provided Edison with opportunities. He heard that the new railway line from Detroit to Port Huron needs a boy to sell fruits and cakes on the train. There are no rewards on the railway, but you can buy food with little money and then sell it at a higher price on the train. Al applied for the job. Al talked to his mother about his ideas, but her mother objected. His mother thought of the terrible things that might happen-the train was out of control, collided, overturned or even overturned, and so on. She was also worried that Al would meet the bad guys while waiting for the train in Detroit. But Al's father knew that he didn't have enough money to send Al to school. He said that Al could learn something useful while waiting for the train. All Al can think about is making big money for his experiment. After bargaining with his mother, Edison finally became a newsboy on the early train from Port Huron to Detroit. It is said that he told his mother at that time: "mom, I am a bushel of wheat;" I weigh 80 pounds. "12 years old, Edison ended his childhood.