Thomas Edison

American inventor and businessman (1847–1931).

Quick Facts

Died: 1931-10-18
Occupation: engineer · inventor · entrepreneur · physicist · mathematician · screenwriter · film director · film producer
Citizenship: United States
Birthplace: Milan
Membership: National Academy of Sciences · since 1927
Affiliation: Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Membership: American Philosophical Society · since 1896
Affiliation: Academy of Sciences of the USSR
Affiliation: Russian Academy of Sciences
Affiliation: Naval Advisory Board of Inventions

Thomas Edison is the child of Samuel Ogden Edison and Nancy Elliott.

incandescent light bulb earned Thomas Edison the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1973.

Date / result	Award / category
2010 Received	Technical Grammy Award
2008 Received	New Jersey Hall of Fame
1977 Received	Grammy Trustees Award
1973 Received	National Inventors Hall of Fame incandescent light bulb
1929 Received	John Scott Award
1928 Received	Congressional Gold Medal
1920 Received	Navy Distinguished Service Medal
1915 Received	Franklin Medal
1915 Nominated	Nobel Prize in Physics
1908 Received	John Fritz Medal
1899 Received	Edward Longstreth Medal
1895 Received	Rumford Prize
1892 Received	Albert Medal
10 September 1889 Received	Commander of the Legion of Honour
1889 Received	John Scott Award
1889 Received	grand officer of the Order of the Crown of Italy
1887 Received	Matteucci Medal
1881 Received	Officer of the Legion of Honour
1879 Received	Knight of the Legion of Honour
— Received	Benjamin Franklin Medal
— Received	honorary doctor of Rutgers University
— Received	star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

Thomas Edison attended Cooper Union until 1879.

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Facts retrieved 12 Nov 2026, 23:22 UTC.