13. Thomas Edison and the light bulb
Edison’s supposed invention of the light bulb has long been disputed, and he is generally considered to have been one of many who studied the problem of using electricity as a viable source for lighting. At least twenty patents existed for electric lightbulbs before Edison and his laboratory began considering the problem of a workable electric light. So while Edison did not invent the light bulb, it can be argued that it was he who perfected it, though even that is disputed. His work coincided in time with that of Joseph Swan, who perfected a similar bulb using the same materials at roughly the same time. Edison and Swan later entered business together in England.
Edison became known as the inventor of the light bulb, as well as several other items which he did not invent, because of his abilities as a public relations specialist. He was a showman to the general public, creating interest in the inventions which came out of his factories and laboratories, which in turn helped to attract investors. His true greatest invention was the art of industrial research by assigned teams, which he created at Menlo Park. It was the teams which labored over what became known as his inventions, while he invented his image as the Wizard of Menlo Park, an image which he still retains today.
