When Edison and Duckson invented Kinetoscope for watching a moving film in mid 1890s then the former had founded ‘American Motion Picture Industry’. It was his great misfortune that he had no personal involvement in the industries that were making it big on his inventions and innovations. And in the products his name was not even mentioned as the inventor. For that reason Edison had to fight long legal battles for patent rights. Inspite of these contradictions Edison had to associate himself as a friendly party in the sound recording industry.
In 1878 Thomas Elva Edison had declared that phonograph was his baby that would be his strong support in his old age. And it did prove so. The old century was yielding place to the new one and Edison plus his associates developed a good sound reproduction system and distributed the duplicating records. Like hot cakes they sold and the network spread. But still Edison was not the clear leader of the industry.
Edison used the money earned by phonograph venture into upgradation of two technologies namely cement manufacturing process and storage batteries. Inspite of promising future cement making process had made little progress upto 1920 inspite of some effort. As far as storage battery was concerned its use was limited to automobile industry and its needs for electric power. But when the storage batteries began to be utilized in various other industrial needs in a big way it became a good business for Edison. For the next many year he earned big profits on storage batteries.
In 1907, on his 60th birthday Thomas Alva Edison threw hints of the end of his commercial activities to return to laboratory experiments and research work as a true scientist. At that point of time he was not keeping well. During the long period of research he had come across some extra-ordinary facts that were unexplained and wanted to scientifically investigate them. Although he had delinked from inventive business yet he continued to work on phonograph as there still was scope for improvement. A rival in Victor Talking Machine company was providing stiff challenge. The company had made fair progress and its clear intention appeared to be to dent the leading light status of Edison in phonography. In 1899 he revealed his mind in the following words, ‘On commercial level when phonograph is mentioned do not link my name to it. It is my only invention that I want to handle myself (in every way).”
In 1911 all this enterprises were merged to create ‘Thomas Alva Edison Incorporation’ but even after that phonograph unit was the only industrial activity under the personal care of Edison. The irony was by that time Thomas Edison had became almost fully deaf and yet he was bearing the responsibility of selecting the music and the singing artists for the recordings. It was infact a diabolic policy which made no sense. The phonograph business was on the down slide and in 1929 it had to be abandoned.
The following ventures and their success of failures were inconsequential as Thomas Alva Edison had already become a living icon of America, a great global character.
In 1878, after the establishment of ‘Edison Speaking Phonograph’, all enterprises set up by him, licences under his name, the rights purchased by him and other activities carried the name and stamp of Edison. There was a time when anything could be sold under his name and many times this fact was misused and his name illegally milked. In the last two decades of his life Edison was the inventor of the country and philosopher as well. The journalists used to be eager to know what he thought about contemporary developments or events. During the World War Edison was asked to give his views on the role of inventions in wars and possible future shape of war technologies. Some wanted to know his opinion even on the state council, Diet and existence of God. His word on any subject was valuable or worth taking note of.
In 1915 the secretary of marine force appointed Thomas Alva Edison as Naval Advisor to re-evaluate the inventions related to the national security. In the World War when U.S.A. joined the fray Edison submitted his research report on security. For that service the U.S. government awarded him a special medal and he got opportunity to socialise with the President.
In 1929, on the occasion of 50th anniversary of the invention of electric lamp/bulb the ceremony was graced by the President and the First Lady. The automobile tycoon Henry Ford also registered his presence. The celebration was broadcast live on radio nationwide.
In 1931 when Thomas Alva Edison passed away the President asked the countrymen to dim the electric lights in his memory.
Edison had spent half his life basking in the warmth of his lamp that burnt bright and glorious. His life was always under spot light and often highlighted. All the glory and honour that Thomas Alva Edison earned in his life is described by the great Alfred North Whitehead in the following words, ‘The greatest invention of the 19th century—the inventions made inventors prosperous—and that was Edison!”
