Edison's favourite invention was the phonograph, which he produced in 1877. He regarded it as a toy, and designed toys that used the device, including talking dolls and children's pianos. He improved it so that it could record and play music. Recordings were made on the surface of a metal cylinder, and the sounds were heard when a needle ran through grooves on the cylinder as it turned round and round. He also experimented with recording on disks and tape. Show Electric light bulbIn 1878 Edison worked to discover a way of improving the electric light bulb invented in England by Sir Joseph Swan. Electricity was passed through a filament wire to make the wire glow, a glass bulb, from which air had been removed, enclosed the filament so that it would burn longer. Edison experimented with materials that would make a filament to produce a brighter light. In 1879, he used a filament made from burnt sewing thread, and in 1880 he used bamboo filaments. By the end of 1880 he had developed a 16 watt bulb that lasted 1500 hours. To make his invention practical for everyday life, he invented ways of producing electricity and distributing it through wires to homes and businesses. By the 1890s, hundreds of towns throughout the world had Edison power stations. Edison also improved the telephone system that had been invented by Alexander Graham Bell, and sold the Edison telephone system in England. KinetoscopeAnother Edison invention was the Kinetoscope, a box containing a strip of photographs. When one looked into the box while the strip was moved, the objects in the photos appeared to be moving. He later invented the Edison Moving Picture Machine, an early cinema projector. A film studioEdison set up the first film studio in 1893 and there, his assistant Charles Batchelor, experimented with combining moving pictures and sound. The Edison Studio produced the first talking motion picture in 1912.
By Ryan Allis Innovation is the process of creating something new that makes life better. Innovation is impossible without passion. Innovators see the world differently. Innovators end up becoming obsessed with taking the world from as it is to as it should be. They become obsessed with making the world better. Many innovators in the for-profit sector focus incessantly on bringing value to market. Others focus incessantly on the core research needed to push the human race forward. Regardless of the sectors we play in, we are all relentlessly focused on solving problems and creating a better world than the one that exists today. Here’s a list of the greatest innovators of all time, followed by some of the greatest innovators of the last 30 years and the best up and coming Gen Y innovators. Let me know in the comments anyone you think we should add to the list. The 12 Greatest Innovators of All Time
The Greatest Innovators of the Last 30 YearsSome of the greatest innovators of the last thirty years include:
The Up & Coming Gen Y InnovatorsHere are some of the best up & coming innovators in Gen Y (born since 1980)
As you think about innovation and how you can be innovative in your own life or in your company or in your organization in the years ahead, I encourage you to work on a big problem. I encourage you to think about how you can impact the lives of over one billion people. |