the man who turned invention into a business model, then patented the model.
means thomas edison, american inventor and industrialist who systematized invention itself, holding 1,093 us patents including the practical incandescent bulb and phonograph.
from born 1847 in milan, ohio, edison started as a telegraph operator before founding menlo park, new jersey in 1876 — the world's first industrial research lab, built to churn out inventions on a schedule.
menlo park lab — 1876 new jersey facility, birthplace of the light bulb, 1879
phonograph — 1877 invention, first machine to record and replay sound
general electric — 1892 merger of edison's companies, still a fortune 500 giant
black maria studio — 1893 west orange, new jersey, first film production studio ever built