Thomas Alva Edison, or Al as he was often called, was a great man.
His inventions are so popular and commonplace that today that we often take them
for granted. He has helped us in many ways and that's what makes him a hero.
Tom was born on February 11, 1847. From the very start of his life he had
problems. He often got into trouble because he was so curious about things. One
time he set his fathers barn on fire. "He said he made a small fire in it just to see
what it would do" ( Josephson , 13). The fire quickly spread and burnt the barn
down. To punish him for this his father spanked him in the town square right in
front of everyone. Also his curiosity made people think things about him that
weren't true. He was always asking questions. People thought he was stupid and
even retarded.
He had trouble in school so his mom took him out and homeschooled
him. Tom liked to read books. The books he read were very advanced for his age
and he read one after the other. Pretty soon he got to the point were he could teach
himself. It is said that he checked out every single book in the library. He liked to
tinker around with chemicals. He had a lab in the basement. Almost all his free time
was spent there because he had hardly any friends. When he was a little bit older he
got a job working at the train station. He sold all sorts of various things to the
passengers. One day one of the conductors sons was playing on the tracks and a
train was coming towards him. Tom grabbed him and brought him back to safety.
Although the...