Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor born in 1847 in Ohio. He showed an early aptitude for science and worked on newspapers as a boy. As an adult, Edison established America's first industrial research lab in New Jersey and invented many devices including the phonograph and incandescent light bulb. His breakthrough with a carbonized bamboo filament allowed for affordable, long-lasting light bulbs. By the end of his life, Edison held over 1,000 patents and helped pioneer mass communication, electricity, and early movies.