Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman who developed many devices which greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph and a long lasting light bulb. Dubbed "The Wizard of Menlo Park" by a newspaper reporter, he was one of the first inventors to apply the principles of mass production to the process of invention, and therefore is often credited with the creation of the first industrial research laboratory.

Edison is considered one of the most prolific inventors in history, holding 1,093 U.S. patents in his name, as well as many patents in the United Kingdom, France and Germany.

Thomas Edison was born in Milan, Ohio, the seventh and last child of Samuel Ogden Edison, Jr. and Nancy Matthews Edison, nee Elliott. His family was of Dutch origin.

From Wikipedia