Thomas Edison

The problem

Invention in the nineteenth century was largely the work of lone tinkerers, and early electric lighting was not yet practical for everyday use.

The innovation

Edison organized a dedicated research laboratory that treated invention as a systematic, team activity, and developed a workable incandescent lamp together with the surrounding power-distribution system.

Why it mattered

Pairing the lamp with a complete generation-and-distribution system is what made electric lighting a usable product rather than a demonstration.

Lasting impact

The industrial research lab became the model for corporate R&D that followed.

Gallery