Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor born in 1847 in Ohio. He developed many pioneering innovations, including establishing the first industrial research lab called Menlo Park Laboratory in 1876. There, he invented the phonograph in 1877 and developed an improved electric light bulb with a carbonized bamboo filament in 1880. By the late 1880s, Edison had established several electric companies and electric power stations, though alternating current would eventually become the standard for power transmission. Edison received over 1,000 patents for his inventions and emerged as one of the most prolific inventors in American history.