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Thomas Edison: Menlo Park
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The greatest invention of Thomas Edison was the Menlo Park research lab, which was built in New Jersey. Most of the inventions there carried Edison as the inventor, while he mostly oversaw the operation.
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Thomas Edison began his career as an inventor in Newark, New Jersey with the stockticker and improved telegraphic devices being invented there, but the invention which first gained Edison wide fame was the phonograph in 1877. While non-reproducable sound recording was first achieved by Leon Scot de Martinville (France, 1857), and others at the time (notably Charles Cros) were contemplating the notion that sound waves might be recorded and reproduced, Edison was the first to produce a device to actually do so, and this was so unexpected by the public at large as to appear almost magical. Edison became known as "The Wizard of Menlo Park" (after the New Jersey town where he resided). His first phonograph recorded on tinfoil cylinders, had low sound quality, and destroyed the track during replay such that one could listen only once. A redesigned model which used wax cylinders was produced soon after by Alexander Graham Bell. Sound quality was still low and replays were limited before wear destroyed the recording.
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After Thomas Edison moved to the Menlo Park Laboratory in New Jersey, USA, he promised he would turn out a minor invention every 10 days and a "big trick" every six months. Edison and his staff were working on as many as 40 projects at one time and he was applying for nearly 400 patents each year during this time. Thomas Edison employed many people at his laboratories and Edison Manufacturing Company. Under his direction they handled the bulk of the design, research and experimentation on the projects. Ultimately Edison took complete credit for everything made within his company and most if not all patents were applied for under his name. All told, Thomas Edison received patents for 1093 inventions, as either sole inventor or co-inventor.
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On June 1st, 1869, Thomas Edison was awarded with his 1st of over 1,300 patents. The electric vote recorder, the machine he received the patent for, never made much of an impact on society. While waiting for a job interview in New York City, the central transmitting machine for the company broke down. Edison quickly fixed it, and was awarded with good paying job the very next day. After 4 months on the job, Edison and two other men decided to open their own company called “Pope, Edison and Company.” Soon after opening, the Gold and Stock Telegraphic Company paid a handsome fee to take over the company. Growing in wealth and knowledge, Thomas opened up a plant in Menlo Park, New Jersey where some of his greatest inventions were produced.
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"New Jersey has a long history of technological innovation, including one October day in 1879 when Thomas Edison invented a workable electric light in his Menlo Park laboratory," notes Nancy Byrne, executive director of The New Jersey Division of Travel & Tourism. "So it's a natural fit that we're using America's latest, favorite technology, GPS navigation -- teamed with radio spots and the tried-and-true billboard -- to highlight some of our attractive options for a road trip itinerary. This campaign highlights the best of the old and new, from the quiet beauty of a fall Jersey Shore getaway to magnificent new mountain resorts framed in brilliant fall foliage, to show that New Jersey offers great destinations in any direction."
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Between 1876 and 1882 at Menlo Park, New Jersey, Thomas Edison developed the world’s first industrial research and development laboratory devoted to developing new technology. At this laboratory Edison and his staff developed the first system of incandescent electric lighting and electric power generation, and invented recorded sound and a commercially successful telephone transmitter.
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