See Also:
Beginning of a FAMOUS Hero: The Henry Ford Story.
Life Lesson #78 – Focus.
Do you ever wonder how a light bulb works, and do you like to listen to CDs? Do you like to go to the movies? You know, it was a man named Thomas Alva Edison who invented the record player, and perfected the light bulb and the movie projector. He also invented or perfected about a thousand other things, many of which we still use today. He was born in 1847 and was the youngest of seven children in his family. His mother was a teacher, and she always encouraged him to read. By doing so, he quickly developed a great interest in science. Thomas developed a passion for learning, and he was always asking questions.
When he was ten years old, he set up a small laboratory in the basement of the family home. When he was twelve, he worked as a train boy on the Grand Trunk Railway, and he was allowed to move his laboratory to an empty railcar.
One lesson we can learn from Thomas Edison is persistence. For example, when he was working on perfecting the incandescent light bulb, he tried and failed up to ten-thousand times before he found the right combination of materials to make it work. It was Thomas Edison who talked about failure being our friend if we learn from our failures and continue working to succeed.
Thomas Alva Edison worked hard all of his life to learn everything he could by listening, asking questions, and by reading. Then he used what he learned to HELP the world in so many wonderful ways. He became one of the greatest HEROES of all time.
– Jim Lord