Cobblestone articles from December 2005

Cobblestone archives from December 2005

A lifetime of invention.(Thomas Alva Edison)
December 1, 2005... Thomas Alva Edison's successes light up the pages of history. His inventions and ideas have changed the way Americans, and the world, talk, entertain, travel, treat the sick, and fight enemies. Curious and tireless, Edison explored and...

What's that Edison boy up to now?(Thomas Alva Edison)(Biography)
December 1, 2005... Curious, energetic, ambitious, imaginative, exploring--these are all good descriptions of young Thomas Alva Edison, known to his family and friends as Alva, or Al. At times, Al's curiosity got him into mischief, but it also eventually led him...

The idea business.(Thomas Alva Edison)
December 1, 2005... Many of Edison's inventions seemed magical to his adoring public, which earned him the nickname "the Wizard of Menlo Park." Notice how the wizard's robe is decorated with mechanical devices. Can you pick out the early phonograph and the stock...

Family life.(Thomas Alva Edison's life)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Thomas and Mina Edison gather with their children on the steps of Glenmont. Edison bought the 29-room estate for his second wife and soon built his famous West Orange laboratory complex less than a mile away from the home. Shortly after...

A brilliant idea.(incandescent light bulb)
December 1, 2005... Before the invention of the incandescent light bulb, most homes relied on candlelight, oil lamps, or gas lamps. But, the candle or oil flames caused fires, and the gas was smelly and built up dangerous fumes. So, it was no wonder there was an...

Edison's baby.(Thomas Alva Edison)
December 1, 2005... A young Edison, shown here with an early version of the phonograph in 1878, claimed, "This is my baby and I expect it to grow up to be a big feller and support me in my old age." INSET: Even in this preliminary sketch of the phonograph, a few...

Experiment with sound.(phonograph)
December 1, 2005... Thomas Alva Edison's phonograph was the first powered musical entertainment gadget--sort of like the great-grandfather of today's i-Pod. Discover how Edison invented his "talking machine" by performing some of his amazing experiments with...

'A list' achievers.(inventors)(Chronology)
December 1, 2005... Between 1869 and 1930, Thomas Alva Edison filed a remarkable 1,093 patents for inventions and discoveries, some of which helped change the world. Many other individuals during this period would also make a lasting impact on history around the...

Did you know?(Thomas Alva Edison trivia)
December 1, 2005... Thomas Alva Edison's first two children, Marion and Thomas, Jr., were nicknamed "Dot" and "Dash" after the dots and dashes used in Morse code. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Edison's work on the phonograph spanned 52 years. [ILLUSTRATION...

Behind the camera: the birth of motion pictures.
December 1, 2005... Thomas Alva Edison's muckers may have worked hard under their boss, but they also worked in an environment that encouraged creativity and provided them with the materials to experiment. The workers were employed to help Edison develop his ideas...

Now playing ... the four Vagabonds!(automotive pioneer Henry Ford, rubber tire developer Harvey Firestone, renowned nature writer John Burroughs, Thomas Alva Edison)
December 1, 2005... Try to picture a typical day in Thomas Alva Edison's life. Perhaps you imagine him hard at work in his laboratory. Someone who invented as many devices as Edison must have worked constantly, right? Wrong! Edison took time off to pursue a...

Light's Golden Jubilee.(Thomas Alva Edison honored for his incandescent light bulb inventions)
December 1, 2005... The world prepared to celebrate in high style in 1929. Fifty years earlier, Thomas Alva Edison had invented the incandescent light bulb and a system to power it. It was an invention that had changed the face of civilization. Many special...

Are you meant to invent?
December 1, 2005... You do not have to be grown up to be an inventor. Chester Greenwood was 15 when he invented earmuffs after ice skating made his ears cold. Benjamin Franklin fashioned the first swim paddles at the age of 10. And Thomas Edison started...

What's new in West Orange?(THE PAST IS PRESENT)(Thomas Alva Edison)
December 1, 2005... Thomas Alva Edison always said that his laboratory in West Orange, New Jersey, was the best in the world. It housed the most modern equipment and created products that were on the cutting edge of technology. Today, those of us who work for the...

Moon festival.(Your Letters)(Poem)
December 1, 2005... moon FESTiVAL With the adults enjoying moon cake on the grass, the moon above shines bright and clear. Merrily playing lantern, the children are in their colorful midautumn gear. Fireworks...

Music.(Your letters)(Poem)
December 1, 2005... music Come, listen with me; come, listen and hear. The true sound of music, the true sound you hear when you listen to music not with your ear but with your heart. Then, you'll surely hear. Jessica...

The cycle of life.(Your Letters)(Poem)
December 1, 2005... THE CYCLE oF LiFE Babies: Petite, adorable, squirming, crawling, walking bundles of joy. Toddlers: Youngsters, frolicking, jumping, learning. Children: Funny, cute, playing, laughing, joking....

Sled.(Your Letters)(Poem)
December 1, 2005... SLED Freezing cold day, snow piles up high. Get out my sled, down the hills I ride like a roller coaster. Sun goes down; I go to sleep. The next day, sled calls me out to ride again. Pull...

Sod houses.(Your Letters)(Poem)
December 1, 2005... I live in a sod house, that's all I can say. I hope that we can forever stay. I built it all with my bare hands. I placed it here, on our land. I built my house out of many different things, while the bluebirds...

Weather: the mystery of life.(Your Letters)(Poem)
December 1, 2005... WEATHER: THE msysTERY oF LiFE Rain. Droplets of water, falling to the ground. I see an umbrella turning round and round. I see a young child playing in a puddle, as I sit with my teddy bear and cuddle. Fog. ...

In the works.
December 1, 2005... The golden age of the steamboat (November 2006) ulysses S. grant (December 2006) spotlight on Hollywood and the rise of motion pictures (January 2007) Write to us! Draw a picture or write a poem or short essay that connects to one of the...

Books to read.("Thomas Alva Edison (Buranelli, Vincent)", "Thomas Alva Edison: Inventing the Electric Age", "Thomas Edison", "Thomas Edison: Great Inventor", "Thomas Alva Edison (Lampton, Christopher)")(Brief Article)(Children's Review)(Book Review)
December 1, 2005... Thomas Alva Edison: Inventing the Electric Age by Gene Adair (New York: Oxford University Press, 1996, www.oup.com) combines informative text and sidebars with photographs and line drawings of inventions for a complete picture of Edison and his...

On the Web.(Digging DEEPER)(Edison National Historic Site)
December 1, 2005... The Web site of the Edison National Historic Site, run by the National Park Service, is www.nps.gov/edis/home.htm. Here, you will find links to "Edisonia" (anything related to Edison) and "Edifun," a spot for students in grade 4 and up, as well...

Places to visit.(Edison National Historic Site, West Orange, New Jersey)
December 1, 2005... Edison National Historic Site, West Orange, New Jersey. This historic site contains 20 structures from 1880 to 1887, including the inventor's Glenmont home and laboratory. Archived here are Edison's papers, photographs, and sound recordings....

More media.(The Edison Effect )
December 1, 2005... Originally shown on cable television's History Channel, The Edison Effect is a three-volume video set that contains the individual titles "The Phonograph," "The Electric Light," and "The Motion Picture." Contact New Video Group, 126 Fifth...

Inventing the Future: A Photoggraphy of Thomas Alva Edison.(Brief Article)(Children's Review)(Book Review)
December 1, 2005... INVENTING THE FUTURE: A PHOTOGRAPHY OF THOMAS ALVA EDISON by Marfe Ferguson Delano (Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 2002, www.nationalgeographic.com/books) tells the story of one of the most prominent inventors in American...

Inventor info.(Digging DEEPER)
December 1, 2005... Curios about what it takes to be an inventor or want some help fine-tuning a creative idea? For more information about invention camps, clubs, contests, and opportunities, browse these Web sites: The American Society of Inventors...

From the archives.
December 1, 2005... Throughout history, inventions have changed and improved people's lives. For a closer look at a few of America's most famous inventors and some remarkable inventions, we recommend: Awesome Inventions That Changed Our Lives (COB0501), African...

Breaking barriers.(women inventors)
December 1, 2005... Although their names are not instantly familiar, women inventors have enriched all our lives. Among their more important inventions are Teri Pail's cordless telephone, Patsy Sherman's Scotchgard[R], Sphanie Kwotek's Kevlar[R] (used in...

Brain ticklers.
December 1, 2005... Give your brain a little tickle to see how well you read and understood this issue on the Thomas Alva Edison. If you believe the answer to be false, give yourself the ultimate test and see whether you can explain why it is false. Answers below....

A final word.
December 1, 2005... What do you consider to be Thomas Alva Edison's most important invention? Now try to imagine the world without it. What would life be like?

Cartoon connection with Ebenezer & The colonel.(Comic)(Cartoon)
December 1, 2005... We find our heroes at the MENLO PARK LABORATORY of THOMAS EDISON as he works to invent the world's first practical LIGHT BULB... We need to find the RIGHT FILAMENT for the new LIGHT BULB. We're trying everything we can think of! ...