Thomas Edison: His Kaleidoscope Mind
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Visit our companion website for more: biographics.org
Credits:
Host - Simon Whistler
Author - Shannon Quinn
Producer - Jennifer Da Silva
Executive Producer - Shell Harris
Business inquiries to biographics.email@gmail.com
Other Biographics Videos:
Frida Kahlo: World-Renowned Artist Who Overcame Polio
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Nikita Khrushchev - The Man Behind the Missile Crisis
• Nikita Khrushchev - Th...
Source/Further reading:
www.biography.com/inventor/th...
• Video
www.smithsonianmag.com/histor...
www.pbs.org/tesla/ll/ll_ameri...
www.livescience.com/46739-tes...
• The Current War Offici...
• Thomas Edison Did Ever...
• Video
mentalfloss.com/article/51722/...
We also did a Tesla Biographic: kzhead.info/sun/YLKtg76Jf4SZYIE/bejne.html
Please i request you to do one on Dennis Rader the BTK strangler
Watched that one 2-4 times m8
Can we please get one on Wassily Kandinsky?? :c
As great as Tesla was, even he couldn't repair today's DC(EU). Had to there. Cavill, Snyder, Adams and Eisenberg happened.
Requesting video of king Tshaka/ Shaka Zulu
Ah yes the classic “I’ll pay you lots of money for your time and effort” joke. I’ve fell for that one before.
Pay me upfront or no deal then if he pays (don't sign anything) run with the money
I mean You need a company to work for And if you don't you'll probably never achieve things you would've achieved if you had one
My grandfather worked for Edison and gave one of his beard hairs toward the electrical light bulb. Thank you for illuminating part of my family’s past
Really, wow, work for Thomas Edison
If someone stole a Tesla Would it be called an Edison?
Yupp!
That's my boy! Always on the spot, cheers mate.
No, it would be called a G ride!
facebook
No, it would be tanto this overrated fraud wasn't that smart everyone thought was
Please do yourself at 1 million subscribers!
absolutely! Simon is a mysterious figure, for sure.
NoctusOverdroid: Agreed! Good call!
If he does it will probably be on April 1st
I commented on an episode about a month ago and asked the same thing Simon replied and said it wasn’t going to happen 😔
@@Kenxclout We're gonna make it happen.
Like if you're Team Tesla.
I am on both sides
@@udith then both Edison and Tesla hate you
@@yuzuruotonashi659 why ?
@@udith and I'm on neither
This is a stupid rivalry. Both contributed a great deal to bringing us to our modern world.
I like how Simon establishes a point, even his sponsor explanation are fun. He combines the right amount of humor with explination, and it really gets the point through. Thanks for helping me understand these various historical figures!
Romaniaball?
As someone who studied both Edison and Tesla as a young scientist, it is, as you said, “somewhere in between.”
A biographic about Terry Fox would be awesome! His struggle and legacy are a integral part of Canada even to this day still.
I saw a museum exhibit on Terry Fox in Victoria a few years ago and it moved me to tears. He was incredible and more people should know about him.
I mean, no one's perfect, but that's not an excuse for doing rotten things.
Exactly
Being ruthless, determined and manipulative tends to be a recipe for success in business. It is abhorrent to people with a high degree of moral rectitude, but it is the reality; rather than the ideal.
@@valentino3191 I'm aware. Doesn't change my stance
Valentino although it’s not ok to act like this successful people are all like this you have to be in this world.
Lol who pays the bills? Your mother? You need to do necessary things to run a big business.
Thomas Edison was basically the Steve Jobs of his generation. He took credit for other peoples work.
Yes, absolutely!
Post of the day...
the comment i was looking for
He provided jobs for many inventors and gave inspired minds the resources to create. Engineers are the inventors of today and very few complain about their work having a company logo on it. Most are more than happy to have a steady check and not have to worry about keeping a business alive. He may have been a competitive workoholic to the point of being an asshole, but credit is definitly needed where it's due
How did Steve jobs do that? Not saying he didn't, just generally curious. I don't know much about Steve jobs
I'd love if you'd do a biography on the Irish revolutionary, Micheal Collins
Rhys Flynn nobody fucking cares. Cool name tho, how do you pronounce that?
Mup the ra
The Irish Revolution, along with the IRA, would make a great multi-part documentary for the channel.
That would be awesome. I would also love to see Countess Markiewicz.
@@crakkbone8473 Bit rude! What's up; name envy? 😁
I'm a bit new to the channel, but I've watched a ton in the last month. I really like what I've seen so far, but I really, REALLY like that blue sport coat!
Ahh Thomas Edison, my favourite Nikola Tesla cosplayer.
Just what is it, you're saying here? A cosplayer costumes their self emulating a fictional character, so... WTF
@@rosshoover6986 doesn't have to be fictional.
I live in Port Huron literally 2 blocks from Thomas Edisons boyhood home life is crazy huh
Wow, he from Michigan, two blocks
Step up! You'll be shocked when I spit and start static, I'll rip your style and add it to my long list of patents!
Good old ERB reference
I dont alternate my flows, I diss you directly.
Shocked is probably the right word!
ERB!
Giving lessons on electrical nemesis this will be on the test so confess to your thefts, and let the whole world know what the serbian did for the wizard of Menlo...
Great bio! Thanks. It’s really fascinating to see those early film clips.
Even though I'm a Tesla guy through and through, I've been waiting for this for ages. Thankyou!
same here.
It's not a competition.
@@johnforde7735 It isn't because it happened several years ago, it was though. You should watch the very good Tesla Biographics video it highlights their rivalry more.
@@buttonmoons No, I mean to say that liking Tesla more than Edison is not a competition. You make it sound like you support Tesla like you would a sports team.
There are a few great documentaries on Tesla on yt
I think it's somewhere in the middle. He may have had some good ideas, but I also think he was more sinister and devious in his operations. It was more about becoming wealthy and well known than scientific achievement
How does that make it sinister? He was running a company after all. Was Westinghouse sinister for trying to make money? Gates? Musk?
@@shingshing01 you can run a company without trying to physically harm or threaten your competition. For instance, no one knows what happened to Louis Le Prince.
@@shingshing01 running a company isn't an excuse to be a massive dick like Edison was
@@smarterthanyoure - No different when Tesla and Westinghouse did a dick move on Edison
See, this is where i sit As far as successful businessmen go, especially in that era, he wasn’t that bad. He left a huge positive impact through much less good means. Sure, he was no saint. Not by a long shot. But, he did a lot of little things, business things, that facilitated the success of the inventions he ‘acquired’. Like for example, while he definitely stole and jealously guarded the lightbulb, setting up that much infrastructure involves a lot of savvy decisions, hard work and huge amounts of money. Edison had that and its not completely unreasonable to be willing to do whatever it takes to protect your investments. Tl;dr: Just because you’re a giant throbbing jerk doesn’t mean you can’t do lasting good in the world, even if it was on accident. Ps. If you weren’t present at the events please dont make sweeping accusations about someone’s moral character. Instead, please think back to the last time you had to risk thousands of dollars on something that might not work.
Yesterday one of my incandescent bulbs died and I literally exclaimed "Screw you, Edison!" I made myself laugh.
knowitall82 did you unscrew it and replace it? :P
@@amandab3946 Seriously. Questioning minds want to know.
I tried calling tech support but my Bell harmonic telegraph just doesn't work like it used to.
Hands down, this is the BEST channel on youtube!! Epic job guys!!
2:30 - Chapter 1 - Early life 6:00 - Chapter 2 - The great american inventor 12:40 - Chapter 3 - The war of currents 18:25 - Chapter 4 - Motion pictures & a lasting legacy
Edison lived his quote, "Genius is 1 Percent Inspiration and 99 Percent Perspiration". He was not a very smart man, but he made up for his shortcoming through hard work.
@@walterhicks5520 stealing is not easy. At least how Edison did it.
@@walterhicks5520 if it is so easy then how come more are not doing it?
This is my favorite one so far, Nice job team!
Thank you Simon. Brilliant keeps mind sharp in the mornings as I drink my morning coffee.
Edison’s gonna give you a strike for that Kinetoscope footage!
Edison deserves at least some of the praise he got but more people should know more about the man himself - greatness and flaws alike. and Tesla deserves a bit more fame and recognition - especially in the form of children's books. Biographics is doing a pretty good job at shining a light at these people's lives and showing how they are so much more than a namedrop in a textbook. looking forward to so much more from the channel!
balanced indoctrination from a young age, anyone?
Thanks Simon, Once again you are the diamond of youtube my man !
Many investors where shared and listed as coin veneers but not Edison who took the glory of his employees.
co-inventors? Standard in US companies is, if you work for them, anything you invent belongs to the company with no recognition.
A young Edison was fired from his position as telegraph operator for the Grand Trunk Railway in my home town in Ontario, Canada, as he invented a way to send the 'all clear' signal for the tracks while he slept through his overnight shift... Needless to say, he was asleep when two engineers narrowly avoided collision on the same line, and his solution was to get the hell out of town and go back to the States.
Edison was also a prospector, he was one of the men that discovered the massive metal deposits in Sudbury Ontario Canada. There are many streets, buildings...etc named after him here.
Thank you for another interesting video.
Do a Biographics on GEORGE WESTINGHOUSE!
At least tesla didn't kill an elephant
That's a big myth that Edison himself isn't even a part of.
@@inisipisTV It's such a myth that that the actual footage of the elephant roasting exists today. Look it up!
@@schizophrantic OMG, you are really so brainwashed by the propaganda videos. 1. Yes, the video EXISTS and the only thing Edison has to do with it is that people working for his company has FILMED it. Now, if a BBC crew is sent to film an execution will you say that the owner of BBC is responsible for the execution??? 2. Topsy the elephant was doomed to die by his owners and originally they wanted to hang it (like Mary the elephant later. They chose electrocution plus poison as more humane way to execute it., 3. The death of Topsy happened 10!!!! years after the end of the war of the currents and at this time Edison's company was already promoting AC. 4. Edison wasn't there himself and he never ever mentioned Topsy. Please, at least doubt the propaganda videos before taking them as the truth.
@@camel4o And 5, let me guess. The earth is flat.
@@adolfhitler7394 amazing argument bro. You refuted all I listed... GJ! Brilliant argument 👌
11:18 It's actually pretty easy to turn dirt into food and wine. You just grow grapes.
Thank you for this episode. One thing I do know about is Edison's story. His hometown's name is said MY-lun. His childhood home's right down the road from mine. It's too bad I can't attach a picture of my Edison record players. They're very cool.
Are they of the era? That would be awesome.
Patrick, they are original. Edison's taste in music was, uh, quaint, at best. He micromanaged everything to the nth degree. He never licensed anyone with creativity to press Edison records, so you'll never see anyone famous like Enrico Caruso on an Edison disk. I'm thinking about getting a Pathé record player next. Pathé phonographs were made from the 1890s to 1930s.
Multiplex telegraphy was invented by Granville Woods, not Thomas Edison. Edison lost in court twice on this issue.
No
@@Hamphield ok. Please provide documentation
@@jackphillips3512 ok pls provide source and documentation
The first building Edison wired for the electric light was the city hotel in Sunbury, Pennsylvania (my home town). It still stands today, although rebuilt a few times due to fire damage. The city drops a light bulb every year on new years eve in honor of the towns history with the light bulb.
Been waiting for this since u did the Nikola Tesla video. Good work, as always! 👍
This uploaded while I was binging Biographics videos :-)
A biography of famous/infamous pirates plz
Thank you so much!!
Thank you Simon.
I definitely used some of the info from this video on my placement test for college yesterday, and I scored super high. 😂😂 thank you for the good timing and great videos, Simon!
This is a fantastic, by far my favourite of your various channels, all of which are highly enjoyable in their own right. Please could you cover Enoch Powell as well as Thomas C. Durant the 19th century 'entrepreneur' who got up to all sorts of dodgy activity's as well as being vice-president of the Union Pacific Railroad...? Though totally different character's both men led very interesting live's which I reckon would make for fascinating biographies.
The day that Tesla met David Bowie. Was the day Edison's legacy vanished.
You win something.... cuz this👆
David Bowie met Tesla? You're pulling my leg!
Edison said, "I never saw the invention of the light bulb as 1,000 failures but as an invention with 1,000 steps."
Great episode, please do one about Auguste Escoffie. You'd make a lot of chefs very happy!!!!
Shoutout from Menlo Park ,NJ
“Take a idea make it your own-flintheart glumgold” fits Thomas Edison perfectly.
Boigraphics - at 15:43 you oversimplified AC vs DC. The amount of power loss is related to the amount of current. You did mention transformers which only work with AC - really long transmission lines with extremely high voltage (very dangerous) can have very low current and hence low power loss. DC transmission lines have to be short to avoid power loss so there would have had to have been a power plant for every neighborhood. With AC each neighborhood only needs a transformer and all the transformers can be supplied by a high voltage transmission line and one power plant. Yes, such a detailed explanation would have taken several more seconds.
I live one town over that is less than a mile away from Milan where Thomas Edison was born. For most of my schooling I went to Edison schools as well. Our football team is named the chargers as well
Hey Simon!! I am a huge fan of all of these and watch all your stuff but I have noticed one super tiny problem in your videos that I want to to help you guys fix. I notice so many times that you guys will either get a date wrong on screen, have a tiny misspell of a word of various nouns, and other small on-screen word problems like that. I would be happy to help you guys and if need be I can point some of these problems out from other videos. If I can help in any way possible because I love your videos beyond belief and think they are so important. If you are interested in my help then I would be happy to provide my resume of productions and editing to you and I don't want anything in return because I think these videos are great and important. You make such quality content. Much love!
I have a theory: the mispronunciations and inaccuracies are seemingly random and accidental, but there's really a secret code being broadcast through them for nefarious ends;-)
Now I understand the man that was Thomas Edison, thank you for sharing this video with us!
Suddenly, "Edison & Leo" makes a whole lot more sense... XD
I'm wondering what, if anything, did Edison actually invent? Wasn't he more of an idea man rather than an inventor? Wasn't it more the people working for him were the inventors?
Thats a BIG YUPPA my toking colleague, (Harvest today, he he he)
An idea man and a master promoter. He was the vehicle that delivered innovation.
@@TJDious That would be good if that was how he was promoted.
He is the sole inventor of the Phonograph, or the first audio recorder and player. His company improved on the light-bulb to a fully functioning device and the standard film reel is based on Edison not from the Lumiere brothers.
@@walterhicks5520 I reckon he may of been an ambitious businessman, cunning while ruthless with good acumen. I also see him as strange mix off being very selfish and helpful to society. i don't think he's between good and bad, maybe more good and bad
great video
Please do a Biographics video about Le Petomene! Thanks in advance!
HAHAHAHA! THAT would be a total GAS!
He was the Steve Jobs of his time. Not that Jobs was as nefarious as Edison was/could be. But similar disruptive technologies, and a mind for business, and what people want (or, at least, are willing to pay money for).
Most of the things that Edison did isn't actually that nefarious. Even Graham Bell did a lot of shady stuff to protect his business. Most great inventors did, especially in that cut-throat era.
He's a genius, jobs no
Would love to see a video on George Westinghouse one of these days.
Nice video. I learned a lot, but what is the music at the end?
I learned something today. The reason why Hollywood is the film capitol is because people were excaping Edisons lawsuit. Thanx Simon !!
Would it be possible to do a bio on Alexander Graham Bell? Thank you.
I'm pretty sure you won't read this but it needs to be said. Your videos help me get through the day. After a hard Day's work I want to just eat dinner and unwind. But nothing good is ever on TV so I turn to KZhead, this is one of the only channels on here that I watch every posted video of because they're just so interesting. Even if it's a bio about somebody I've watched documentaries on, I still learn something new. So thanks! You should do a video about Freddie Mercury since his movie didn't do him justice.
You’re welcome :)
At the Aspen design conference many years ago I met Phil McCrady the inventor of the gossamer albatross first man powered flight across the English channel. He told me that competition was the cornerstone of invention, because of his very nature man is competitive, and brings out the best in him. Thomas Edison is a prime example of that innovation and competition married to produce wonderful results.
Hey Simon, you know that lyric The Girl with Kaleidoscope Eyes? I use to think it was The Girl with Colitis Goes Bye! Oh I was crazy back then. I was roughly 4 or 5. Oh my misspent youth!
The Meno Park lab and think tank were the biggest contribution. A lab with specific goals to create marketable products. That's big. Really big. Bell Labs big.
Elon Musk never claimed to have invented the car or the rocket. He's always been open about having taken what was already there and improving upon it. He also is not afraid to give his team credit. It's not a fair comparison.
StaticImage He also called rescue divers in Thailand paedophiles. Musk is a scumbag.
And he committed fraud to investors I think something about overpricing
That outro music is pretty good.
Louis Le Prince invented the world's first 16 lens cine camera I believe. He however, shot the world's first moving picture with a cine camera by filming the comings and goings on Leeds Bridge.. His workshop sat on the site where the old BBC studios were on Woodhouse Lane, Leeds. There are two plaques on Leeds Bridge to commemorate his achievements in the invention of the moving image....
Please do a video on the mccoy and hatfield families
Recommendable
As with everything and everyone, Thomas Edison is complicated. He had an incredible work ethic that led to his improvements on existing technology, amd he was a great public figure that brought many otherwise unknown and unstandardized technologies into the public light. But he absolutely took advantage of others for his own gain, such as Tesla, which is not ok. You cannot lump the good and bad together and say he was a terrible person. He was, after all, human.
5:30 Ralph Bellamy!
Yes
There's so much information that actually adds so much context to his life that you've left out. Good job for creating a certain narrative.... Poor form on showing a short story about his life.
Please do a video on Callas, all the great classical composers and James Dean :P
Callas was gorgeous looking lady
Today, we have a word for people who don't invent something completely original but who improve on inventions that already exist: innovators. That's what both Edison and Musk are.
Here's a suggestion for a biography: ROSALIND FRANKLIN!!! Just finished watching your Marie Curie video, and couldn't help but think about Rosalind, the scientist who deserved more than she got. P.S. sorry if you've already done a video on her and I couldn't find it!!!
Very sad about his wife Mary. She signed up for a husband who would love her but she ended up with one who neglected her. I know, not a unique story, but still sad.
Hey mate could you do August Von Mackensen sometime in the future?
Phonograph, movie camera, lightbulb....ummm, I’d say that was genius. In comparison to today that would be saying he created the PC, i-phone and Google. Edison still ranks as the greatest visionary of all time though Westinghouse is still my favorite.
Huh, Menlo Park must be a popular name. The one I know in California is home to a little company called Facebook.
The sixth Marx brother, Menlo ( after Chico, Harpo, Groucho, Gummo, and Zeppo) was known for his travels, and his talents at Landscaping
They'll say awww Topsie at my autopsy!!!
You should do a video on Hideki Tojo.
video starts at 1.41.... Yup, the sponsor's ads are becoming as long as TV ads, and we dropped TV for that reason, amongst others...
They’re also how we pay for these videos, and why you get to watch them for free :(
I don't have a problem with KZheadrs having sponsors. Without them, "controversial" topics would be financially infeasible due to being deemed not advertiser friendly by KZhead, and I'm grateful creators can bypass KZhead's draconian "advertiser friendly" policies to keep food on the table. I understand that almost all KZheadrs who stray into advertiser unfriendly territory need them in order to make their videos profitable, at least the ones who are popular enough to get the sponsor's attention, as well as Patreon, like Contra-Points, who being someone who talks a lot about LGBTQ+ issues in every video, has all her videos demonetised by default, as do all LGBTQ creators,, regardless of their content. Homophobia lives. Same goes for news channels, political channels, etc. They all rely on sponsors and Patreon because all their videos are demonetised. I know you know how to avoid the demonetisation trap, because I noticed you changed the title of your infographics video "The Bitch of Buchenwald" to "The Witch of Buchenwald", but still refer to her as the historically accurate, "Bitch....", ostensibly to trick the KZhead algorithms of demonetisation. But do you really need to spend several minutes devoted to your sponsor smack dab in the middle of you video, when almost all other KZheadrs simply start and end the video with "This video is sponsored by (insert sponsor name/logo here)"? It's unobtrusive, doesn't interrupt the video, takes up less than five seconds and takes up almost none of the viewers' time. Also, I can't imagine many of your thousands of videos are demonised, due to their advertiser friendly content. You have several (maybe tens) of channels, all with hundreds of thousands, if not millions of subscribers and views, most of which are advertiser friendly, and surely pull in hundreds of thousands of £s per year, if not millions. Talking about a sponsor for SEVERAL MINUTES just seems like a cash grab for someone who doesn't really need it, and the amount of time you spend talking about the sponsor, makes me think they pay you per seconds of content talking about them. Look at "H.Bomberguy", "Knowing Better", "Joe Scott", and other hugely popular KZheadrs who NEED sponsors or patrons just to stay above the poverty line, because they talk about "controversial" topics, and are demonetised. They all simply start and end their videos with "This video is sponsored by...." and get on with the video. They rarely go into more detail than that. For a huge channel with thousands of videos, millions of views, likes and subscribers and a small percentage of demonetised videos, it just seems greedy.
Dear Biographics I think it would be really cool to do an expose on the Australian hero Sir Edward 'Weary' Dunlop ,Military Surgeon turned POW captured by the Japanese and forced to toil at the notorious "Hellfire Pass"
Can you do a video on Hypatia of Alexandria
Simon....did you say "understanded it" at @00:47 ? I actually had to get off of my sofa and check because I never heard you make a mistake before. I'm still not convinced you did but, well, do tell.. :o)
I do make mistakes, I am a human after all. Either that or I thrown them in every now and again because I am actually a robot sent from the future.
@@Biographics Oh good, there is a future. What a relief.....
I’m so happy to see this video on Thomas Edison!! Also, side note Thank you for having Brilliant as your sponsor because I now use them as part of my son’s homeschool education and he is mastering mathematics plus science in a way he has never been able to do in the past!! Thank you so much!!
Rather than the boring advertising blurb that you started this with you could have simply reached out and tapped the screen on the camera and said "can you see me all right? can you hear me okay? you have Thomas Edison to thank for that!"
What did Edison really invent that he did not buy or steal from someone else and take credit for?
Phonograph, a long lasting version of the lightbulb that didn't fissle out in a scant few hours, the concept of research and development, the powerplant
@@walterhicks5520 ok, now you're just being a conspiracy theorist, denying widely held historical fact
Because of Thomas Edison many things were invented that have benefited mankind in many ways. That, however doesn't make him a good person. It seems to me that he was selfish, mean minded and trite. Just my opinion.
Well said
Shows you that imperfect people contribute much to society.
Most industrialists were like that.
I don't think it's right person could be the Visionary that Edison was
If he is selfish he would.not have "invented" a lot of things that have helped mankind. Sure he can be a dick but he has to get things done and overcome setbacks.
A bachelor is a goose without water.
You should do Julius and Ethel Rosenberg!
The history of important inventions is rarely as simple or dramatic as it may appear in hindsight. The telephone was initially seen as a relatively useless curiosity and took years to garner interest. Mark Twain saw it's potential and lost a fortune as an initial investor.
do a video on Harald Hardrada
love
Please do Saladin.
Business Blaze on current wars!