He was born in Milan, Ohio, and grew up in Port Huron, Michigan. He was the seventh and last child of Samuel (1804–96, born in Marshalltown, Nova Scotia, Canada) and Nancy (1810–1871, born in Chenango County, New York).His father had to escape from Canada because he took part in the unsuccessful Mackenzie Rebellion of 1837. He reported being of Dutch ancestry. In school, the his mind often wandered, and his teacher, the Reverend Engle, was overheard calling him "addled". This ended his three months of official schooling.Recalling later, "My mother was the making of me. She was so true, so sure of me; and I felt I had something to live for, someone I must not disappoint." His mother taught him at home. Much of his education came from reading R.G. Parker's School of Natural Philosophy and The Cooper Union.
He developed hearing problems at an early age. The cause of his deafness has been attributed to a bout of scarlet fever during childhood and recurring untreated middle-ear infections. His life there was bittersweet. He sold candy and newspapers on trains running from Port Huron to Detroit, and sold vegetables to supplement his income. He also studied qualitative analysis, and conducted chemical experiments on the train until an accident prohibited further work of the kind.
He obtained the exclusive right to sell newspapers on the road, and, with the aid of four assistants, he set in type and printed the Grand Trunk Herald, which he sold with his other papers. This began his long streak of entrepreneurial ventures, as he discovered his talents as a businessman. These talents eventually led him to found 14 companies, including General Electric, which is still one of the largest publicly traded companies in the world.
He was THOMAS ALVA EDISON !!! Read more...
