THOMAS EDISON INFORMATION

Biographical, scientific, and cultural information relating to Thomas Edison.

• Sights and Sounds of Edison: Dealer in Edison memorabilia and phonographs, custom wood horns and phonograph and horn repair.

• Edison Muckers: A interesting blog from Edison Innovation Foundation – tying current events to Edison – from inventions to ideas

• Thomas A. Edison Papers:
  The Thomas A. Edison Papers site provides a vast searchable document database of microfilm comprising one-quarter of a million pages and covering Edison’s life from 1847 to 1898, three volumes that detail the first 31 years of Edison’s life, and a six-reel collection of film and equipment catalogs from the earliest years of motion pictures. The project is a joint effort by historians at Rutgers University, the Edison National Historic Site, the Smithsonian, and the New Jersey Historical Commission.

• The Life and Inventions of Thomas Edison: A brief overview and many good links for research

• Edison Innovation Foundation: Home of Edison Innovation Awards, and central for fundraising for Thomas Edison National Historical Park

• Charles Edison Fund: A tribute to Thomas Alva Edison the inventor, Charles Edison, his son, statesman and public servant and to all those who want to make a difference

• Thomas Edison National Historic Park:
  Perhaps the most comprehensive Edison resource site on the web, this site provides information about the National Park Service’s Thomas Edison National Historic Park in West Orange, New Jersey, which consists of Thomas Alva Edison’s research and development laboratory and his home, Glenmont. The web site’s Expanded Web Presentation is an electronic guided tour of the Thomas Edison National Historic Park. It includes many more features of interest to visitors of all ages.

• Edison Festival of Light: The Edison Festival of Light web site provides information about Southwest Florida’s two-week festival celebrating Thomas Edison’s life and achievements.

• The National Inventors Hall of Fame:
  The National Inventors Hall of Fame website, provides a biography of Edison. The home page provides additional information about other inventors in the Hall of Fame and their inventions.

• Timeline of Edison’s Inventions: Smithsonian Institute web site with a timeline of Edison’s inventions

• Thomas Alva Edison:
  Outstanding Edison web page developed by teachers, students, and parents at Edison Elementary School in Minot, North Dakota. This site provides a comprehensive biography, information about inventions, patents, friends and associates, and much more.

• Spectrum Biography-Thomas Edison: Provides a short, but informative biography on Thomas Edison.

• Thomas Alva Edison: The Phonograph: This site, part of MIT’s Invention Dimension web site provides a brief synopsis of Edison’s invention of the phonograph. The site’s homepage provides a gateway to the Lemelson-MIT Prize Program for inventors and provides information on a number of inventors, from the famous to the lesser known.

• Timeline of the History of Radio Technology:
  This site, part of the Bellingham Antique Radio Museum’s home page, shows Edison’s contribution to radio technology and provides a link to an Edison biography page.

• The Motion Pictures and Sound Recordings of the Edison Companies: Library of Congress site with a wealth of information on the history of early recordings and motion pictures made by the Edison Companies.

• PBS-The American Experience: Companion site to the 2000 broadcast.

• Early Recorded Sounds: Information on early sound recording methods, two minute wax cylinder recordings, and old phonographs. It contains plenty of vintage photographs, and audio excerpts of marching band music taken form early wax recordings. Also contains links to other Edison sites.

• MIT Media Lab: An intriguing place to explore current and future implications of many of Edison’s inventions.

• Fluxus Indians: Interesting art website with references to Thomas Edison and the process of invention.

• Edisonian Museum: Independent web site with Edison inventions.

• Inventor Resource: A guide to everything you need to know about getting your idea patented, manufactured and into the shops. Though based in UK, it is an international resource.