Thomas Edison lived to be 84, and during his lifetime he patented 1,093 inventions. Yet while the popular image of Edison as the lone genius still exists, the truth is quite different.
Like so many big-idea people, Edison knew that having other brilliant minds around would keep him razor sharp and help him bring his ideas to life. His laboratory was an “invention factory” where a team of artists, experts, and scientists collaborated day and night to change Edison’s futuristic visions into real-world technology. Here are some of the unsung heroes behind Edison’s patents:
• Charles Batchelor, the chief mechanical assistant from England
• Ludwig Boehm, a glassblower from Germany
• John Kruesi, a Swiss clockmaker
• Francis Upton, a mathematician
• Samuel Mott, a draftsman who made drawings for patent offices around the globe
• Grosvenor Lowery, a lawyer who also raised funds to keep the laboratory operational
• Plus a whole host of carpenters, machinists, and general laboratory helpers
My problem at work is that we have more people taking credit than should, and the ones that are, aren’t really the ones who don’t do much.