Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison (1847-1931) was not only one of America's most famous inventors but he was a big consumer of pencils as well. He is said to have used small short pencils he could easily place in his pocket where they would be easily available to jot down his many ideas. And since he was known to try thousands of ideas just to develop any given invention you can guess that's a lot of pencils
Edison received 1,093 U.S. patents for his innovations as well as many others in several European countries. He worked in many different fields developing inventions that changed many lives through improvements in communications, entertainment and basic industry. He is credited with developing the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and of course developed and mass produced the first practical electric light bulb through his company The Edison Electric Light Company. He originated the idea of and implemented the first electric-power generation and distribution to homes, businesses, and factories. He developed one of the first industrial research laboratories in Menlo Park, NJ later renamed Edison, NJ in his honor. In all, he founded fourteen companies - many of which eventually combined into the General Electric Company - today one of the world's largest industrial companies.
This Thomas Edison Timeline Lesson Plan provides a good opportunity to teach your students about the process of invention. It's simple, fun and uses pencils as well.
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