Edison: Genius. Showman. Executioner.Episode 101:32
The Ten Thousand Behind the Wizard
West Orange reveals that Edison’s real instrument is a vast organization of engineers, chemists, machinists, and factory workers.
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Transcript
Edison applied large-scale teamwork to invention and was dubbed the Wizard of Menlo Park.
In November 1887, Edison opened West Orange as a five-building complex.
Inside were a power plant, machine shops, stock rooms, experimental rooms, and a large library.
That layout let Edison work on 10 or 20 projects at once.
He also brought mass-production methods into the laboratory.
Edison’s laboratory assistants embody the factory rhythm behind experiments. Run the next test.
Over time, the West Orange laboratory and factory complex covered more than 20 acres.
At its World War One peak, the West Orange complex employed 10,000 people.
For the phonograph, Edison developed records, recording equipment, and manufacturing equipment.
Edison spent ten years and millions of dollars trying to develop an iron-ore mining process.
I never quit until I get what I’m after.
His alkaline battery took 10 years to become practical, then became his most profitable product.
Edison’s work making the phonograph practical created the recording industry.
The archives preserve about 5,000,000 pages: notebooks, correspondence, patents, and engineering drawings.
Where it leaves off
The West Orange army could build inventions at scale, but its next challenge was to turn the phonograph from a wondrous machine into an entire industry.
Sources
- The Papers of Thomas A. Edison | National Archivesarchives.govsecondary
- Edison Biography - Thomas Edison National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)nps.govsecondary
- Life of Thomas Alva Edisonloc.govsecondary
- Research - Thomas Edison National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)nps.govsecondary
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