No other invention represents innovation more than the light bulb. In fact, Edison's invention had such a profound effect on the world that it has ironically become the symbol of any great idea.
      
      It's easy to focus on the light bulb when we think of Edison (a design that he actually improved and made feasible), but his real insight came with the power to make the light bulb work. In 1882, Edison gave the world its first power distribution company, sending electricity to 59 customers in lower Manhattan. He developed the phonograph, incandescent light bulb, stock ticker, motion picture camera and projector, and hundreds more. He also created the first electrical plant and distribution infrastructure. Without these inventions, modern life is almost inconceivable.
      
      He passed away at age 84 on October 18th, 1931 - on the fifty second anniversary date of his invention of the incandescent bulb.
      
      Cool fact: Edison is the most prolific inventor in history, holding a record 1,097 patents. It's a good thing that Edison didn't put his knowledge to work in the field of human scienc; for the last years of his life he followed a popular fad diet that required him to drink nothing but a pint of milk every three hours.