FBL : Our Billboards

COMMENTS ON THIS BILLBOARD

Apr 23, 2008

>> "He had no hobby, cared for no sort of amusement of any kind and lived in utter disregard of the most elementary rules of hygiene" and that, "His method was inefficient in the extreme, for an immense ground had to be covered to get anything at all unless blind chance intervened and, at first, I was almost a sorry witness of his doings, knowing that just a little theory and calculation would have saved him 90 percent of the labor. N. Tesla, Austin, TX

Apr 13, 2008

>> How often do we give up on something after 2 or 3 tries? Something doesn't come easily or naturally, we give it perhaps a half a dozen goes, and then move on. What burning passion, what dedication and intensity does it take to try something 10,000 times? Our most prolific inventor truly shows us that the path to success lies in trudging through the vallies of failure, without taking that tempting detour Alexis G, New York, NY

Jan 22, 2008

>> I think he is a good man; he made millions of people see in the dark. I think he is fantastic. Elias Trevizo, California, USA

>> Your billboards are wonderful - and inspirational! Thank you! Louis F., Norwalk, Connecticut USA

Dec 17, 2007

>> I think this billboard is about persistence, not optimism. However without optimism, I guess you would not have any persistence. Steve W., Fredonia, New York USA

Nov 14, 2007

>> cool

Jul 13, 2007

>> His legacy, as the billboard so pointedly reminds us, is greater than light. Hope and optimism. Hard to hold onto at times. But if he can, we can all strive to. Marie S., Fort Drum, NY

May 25, 2007

>> You can do it, Genea!

May 17, 2007

>> I am a 34 year old single mother who has always struggled with weight. Since I was a child I've been heavy and the older I get I seem to lose the desire to do anything about it because I've never been successful. Tonight, I am inspired to continue to try thanks to the Thomas Edison "Optimism" billboard on your site. Thanks. Genea S., Atlanta, USA

ADD YOUR OWN COMMENT

Thomas Alva Edison was born on Feb. 11, 1847 in Milan, Ohio, the youngest of seven children. As a child, Edison had an insatiable curiosity about how things worked and was a voracious reader. He ended up being home schooled when the teacher couldn’t handle his curiosity. When he was 11, he decided to read every book in his local library. His parents convinced him to be more selective instead. He was very interested in books on science.

Edison suffered hearing loss due to contracting scarlet fever and possibly being struck by a train conductor in his early teens. He left home to seek his fortune at age 15. He had already trained as a telegraph operator and traveled extensively working in telegraph stations. As he traveled, he began to invent.

He returned home briefly in 1868 and then moved to Boston to work for Western Union for several months. During this time, he met many other inventors and scientists as Boston was considered the hub of the scientific, educational, and cultural universe.

Edison then decided to move to New York City since it was the financial center of the United States. While he was homeless and hungry, Edison fixed a broken stock ticker for a panicked office manager. He was hired on the spot to do more repairs.

In 1877, he patented the first phonograph. He followed that with the development of the first practical incandescent light bulb in 1879, after trying 10,000 times. And if that wasn't enough, in 1884, Edison introduced the world's first economically viable system of centrally generating and distributing electric light, heat, and power. In other words, he developed the first power system that could deliver electricity at reasonable cost throughout a city.

Edison also created the first silent film in 1903 and later worked on combining audio with the silent moving pictures. In all, Edison obtained 1,093 patents. He died on October 18, 1931 at the age of 84. His optimism led him to try new ideas and keep trying despite the odds against him.