People want historical figures to be either pure good or pure evil. Far too often we forget that they were human just like us.

Time to learn about Thomas Edison from my favourite history teacher, Vladimir Lenin.

Thomas Edison: I alone will own the movie industry! Disney: Hold my singing teacup

He was a complex human, like everybody else.

Guy who said the joke: Tesla Guy who said the joke louder: Edison

wow that bit about film producers moving to LA because of edison is really interesting, never knew that.

He wasn't a god. Nor was he a devil. He was human. Same as all the rest of us.

Sounds like a dude. Not a great dude. But not the worst dude. Except for that whole roasting elephants business. That's pretty low.

Tesla and Edison were both smart and amazing inventors, they both deserve lots of credit for what they did

You know I think I was more susceptible to the semi-hate train there is for Edison on the internet before I actually picked up a book. For anyone who hasn't picked up a book I would recommend doing that. A biography always gives you a much more open eye than any articles I read about Edison/Tesla/electricity on the internet. Anyway, the book I read was "Tesla: Inventor of the Modern" by Richard Munson and though it's obviously not an Edison biography, there was a lot about Edison as well as his relationship with Tesla that I never read on the internet. His rivalry with Tesla was petty and their personalities did inherently clash in a lot of ways, but why did no one ever tell me the two of them were actually friends??? Like, exchange-letters-up-to-Edison's-death level friends? After Tesla's lab burnt down and he lost all his work, Edison offered Tesla to use his lab while he got back to work and even though he did electrocute animals for the sake of his own profits, I was still touched by that. Also worth noting....... Edison was not the greediest business titan of the industrial era and I think since he's the most famous people will easily forget that. Not to defend his bad actions. They're still bad, but I really agree with what you're saying here, op. Hearing this and that about him on the internet really doesn't put his character well into perspective. I'd highly recommend anyone watching this video to pick up a good nonfiction book. Tesla: Inventor of the Modern is a decent place to start.

So Edison was the "live long enough to see yourself become the villain" type of guy, did a lot of good, created and helped create a lot for things but ended up becoming greedy and and full of himself.

I never understand the demand for ideological purity with historical figures. No one is perfect, and times change.

“He founded a trust...” Roosevelt: Oh no you did not!

I literally went into this video saying "change my mind" and you did. So, he really was more of a profit driven anti hero than the villian he has been made out to be. Neat.

This is the calmest Edison comment section I've ever seen, also a pretty fair shake given to the man, unlike a lot of other pieces on Edison which are basically just hit pieces and slander.

So basically he was the original Steve Jobs, but he actually did some inventing in his youth? I wonder how people will talk about Jobs in a few decades, if his reputation will suffer like Edison´s because he didn´t invent most things directly attributed to him in the popular mind. Anyway grey is not accepted by most people. We want to simplify things and see them either black or white and forget the complexities. This applies to Edison as well as Tesla (better inventor but less charisma/wealth that didn´t let him achieve all his potential)

It’s hard to talk about Edison without including JP Morgan. I feel it was a disservice to this video that JP Morgan was not included as I feel he played a pivotal role in Edison’s success.

Edison's main flaw was that he was a salty egoist, from what I can gather. He was no doubt very talented, but maybe he could achieve even greater things if he wouldn't let his ego demand that all the glory was his alone.

Don’t forget about the automatic hammer and six legged chair. Those were both his invention as well.

It reminds me of my favorite Civil War general, Sherman. He was just an interestingly complex human with tons of flaws but accomplished a lot.

You could say the discussion over Edison is almost as heated as an incandescence light bulb.

I've come to believe he has been vilified much more than he should have. Regardless of anyone's opinion, his impact on innovation cannot be overlooked.

So you're saying he knew what he wanted and would do anything for it? ...So he's chaotic neutral.

So, Hollywood came to be, because people wanted to get away from Edison? Now, that's some legacy!

Historical figure: *does something bad* Living people: yeah they can rot in hell

Thomas Edison: I've made a sound recorder! Everyone Else: It's too fragile! Graham Bell: Here, I make it more durable. Thomas Edison: You've crossed me for the last time!

No man is perfect. Evryone have a flaw.

To be fair, I don't despise Edison because of the way he went about being an actual inventor, I despise him for his shitty business practices. He's not all that different from the robber barons of his time and they weren't cool to me either. Most of it is just the fact that he made every business clash he had personal, I.E. attacking Tesla's character because he had no scientific basis for AC being worse than DC.

Thomas Edison was an innovator who did weird stuff, as was Tesla, I think lots of inventors have been worse than Edison, enjoyable video.

I’ve been to his workshop in NJ, very cool with all the belt driven machines!

Thomas Edison and J Edgar Hoover seem to have similar historical legacies where they were considered heros to the general masses during life, started to get criticized after death or shortly before death, and then had a large hate bandwagon write off any good they did. They were not perfect, no one is, but assuming they were complete monsters shows humanity's unwillingness to accept the grey that makes up the real world.

Alexander Graham Bell: Hey, I invented something. Edison: Cool, I can use that invention of yours to invent another thing. Bell: I can take your invention and make it better. Edison: So you've chosen death.

Inventions are completely useless without mass production. Imagine if computers remained the toys of colleges, or if film was the pet of Hollywood. No, true innovation comes through scalability, and Edison played a most important role on that front.

gud vid. My opinion has been moderated

He wasn’t necessarily a bad person, he just was a not at all altruistic person operating as a rational actor within a flawed system beyond his own control.

Ah, so he's basically the era's Steve Jobs then.

Oh oh, here comes the Tesla Brigade.

8:38 Imagine spending months on an invention just for people to say “Nice party trick”

Edison's lab in West Orange, NJ is now a National Historical Park. Really interesting place to see his accomplishments up close. When I interned there, I got a sense of just how much he improved the standard of living for the world and helped to industrialize the US in particular. Was he the most ethical guy? Not exactly. His smear campaign against AC (RIP elephants!), active pursuit of forming monopolies (as in the film industry), and taking credit for his employees' work are all stains on his personal character and reflect the Success Gospel school of thought which prevailed in this time. When it comes to evaluating a figure like Edison though, it's best (in my opinion) to do so by focusing on what improvements he made rather than base judgement around today's standards. Also Edison's talking doll is the stuff of nightmares: www.nps.gov/edis/learn/photosmultimedia/hear-edison-talking-doll-sound-recordings.htm

He wasn't home schooled because there was no school available or that his parents chose to. He had a problem with self regulation which continued throughout his life.

Best Edison story I know I learned from a worker at the Henry Ford Museum is when Henry Ford made his Greenfield Village (ie he bought up a bunch of famous places like Robert Burns house and the Wright Brothers' bicycle shop and moved them all the way up to Dearborn Michigan) as a celebration of American invention, he included the Menlo Lab. When Ford brought Edison in to view it, he asked his very old friend (there are pictures of the two of them camping in tents together, it's hilarious) what he thought. Edison looked around and said "It's missing something". Ford being the perfectionist was all "What is missing?!", and Edison replied "Not enough dust". Note if you ever make it up to Michigan, that place is ridiculous and is literally a museum of American Invention and consumerism. You won't believe the stuff they got.

Edison invented a lot of his stuff at first, but as time went on he basically had as much as involvement as an investor would.

Thomas Edison also known has The wizard of Menlo Park The king of patents and lawsuits And the mighty presi-King

My great great grandfather worked for edison, we have family pictures with him and still have some of the early phonograph wax wheels

I literally saw an Edison lightbulb for sale today, and thought, "wasn't he an asshole?" Then I saw this video in my feed.

I heard someone seriously say he wrote the Declaration of Independence Edit:80 likes ok so WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had no idea that people thought negatively of Edison I just assumed that the common opinion was that he was a really smart guy…

That kinda seems like a common thread with big business men"he didn't attempt to help the world, but somehow did along the way" that being said I think we should celebrate people, but also remember they are people and sometimes make bad decisions. Like just as many bad people have helped the world as good people have hindered it and vice versa.

That original Earth profile picture, I'll never forget that.

Thomas Edison is a great case of how to treat a historical figure objectively and not lean into the narrative. He was a man who did many great things but should not be absolved from the shitty behaviour and business practices he was known for. He was a mixed bag and that goes for a lot of other historical figures too.

He has a lot of incredible traits! I just can't get over the whole "taking credit for his employee's inventions" thing. There's no excuse I can think of for that. It's just so hideously unfair to treat someone that way.

Building off of others is fine. It's actually an art in itself. The problem was Edison wouldn't credit the people who helped him. Not even the people in his think tank. We can hate his ego while still marveling at his body of work.

And he had his own musical, THE ELECTRIC SUNSHINE MAN. It was ghastly.

a hardworking curious guy who was a bit too egoistic and mysteriously charming

Tomas Edison He sat He wasn’t fat Most importantly he wasn’t laid back

The message I come away from this is that Edison was a self-centered, but intelligent narcissist who was too stubborn to admit when he was wrong, and wanted to keep an iron grip on everything he could.

For some reason I am getting a Cave Johnson vibe from Thomas Edison.

BREAKING NEWS: Thomas Edison Coughs Twice Within Ten Seconds!!!

To put it bluntly, there’s a reason that a town in New Jersey is called Edison and not Tesla.

This just comes to show that no person is "perfect."

He was basically the Steve Jobs of the late 19th/early 20th century.

I really don't understand where the ridiculous vilification of Edison came from

To quote a fellow internet-goer, "Edison being a dick doesn't change the fact that he genuinely helped innovation. Tesla being an inventor ahead of his time doesn't change the fact that he was crazy." As a side note, I think this is the only praise of Edison I've heard in a decade

I’m reminded of this little exchange in a LeapPad cartridge, “A Day at Moss Lake”: Sly: “Wow, Buzzy! Leap really saved the day with his jet-saving invention!” Buzzy: “That Leap! He’s a regular Thomas Edison!” Sly: “He’s an English muffin?” Buzzy: “No, Sly! Thomas Edison was an _inventor!_ He invented the lightbulb...and the movie camera!” Sly: “I love movies! Thanks, Mr. Edison!” 🤦‍♀️

I feel that Thomas Edison was a good inventor who just got old and stuck in his ways like ford or... really a lot of people

Thanks for this video. All too often, we forget people, including famous and historically important ones, are complex.

Thomas Edison had 1,093 patents registered to his name more than any other person in history! And while he most certainly deserves a place of honor in the science hall of fame, he also deserves honorary membership in the “failure hall of fame” for the tens of thousands of experiments he conducted that failed. Edison himself, however, did not see these experiments as failures. When he was working on one of his inventions, a storage battery, someone pointed out to him that he had failed ten thousand times. “I have not failed,” responded Edison, “I’ve just found ten thousand ways that won’t work.” Recognizing the real path to his accomplishments, Edison remarked, “I failed my way to success.” I want to share this with everyone, I read from book ;)

A 'nice guy' rarely changed the world

He was the Wizard of Menlo Park. He was a great man. Greatness can be evil, noble, or ambivalent, and is often a mix of all three.

Thomas Edison! Thomas Edison! Just because you say his name, doesn't mean you're right!

35mm film is only a standard because Edison used to buy 70mm film strips from Kodak, then split and spliced it for extra length.

Ah yes, welcome to history! First wave: praise! Second wave: condemnation! Third wave: trying to balance... :-)

Thomas Edison was basically the Keiji Inafune of technological innovation. Did more in marketing and selling ideas than coming up with them. And while that's not as romantic, it's certainly as important.

He was an off brand Nikola Tesla.

What was the music used in this video, especially the sixth track?

I still feel about Edison how you made me feel about Woodrow Wilson after his video. Tesla is to Edison as Roosevelt is to Wilson. Some alternate reality is having a hell of a time.

Joseph Swan invented and patented the first practical incandescent light bulb before Edison

Nothing and no one in this world is perfect. This applies to Edison as well.

I stole a Tesla:✖️ I pulled an Edison:✔️

This is actually a very good point. Many inventors or visionaries are not creating from the ground up but improving on existing technology. Its similar to how Marconi may be credited with the radio but it was based on Teslas concepts.

"And if the people knew you stopped me from making power FREE, they would curse the con Edison with every utility!" - Nikola Tesla, impeccably dressed

2:12 Fewer*

What font was used in the first two seconds (0:00 - ~0:02) of the video?

So basically, the truth lies somewhere between the two extremes of opinion

Funny how we've gone back to looking into a box at a small screen as a means of novelty entertainment. Albeit in a more mobile form.

eh, a few good deeds doesn't absolve someone for being a corrupt person. Especially with over the course of their life doing less for others and becoming more about profit than peoples lives.

Another great video. You guys make learning something interesting. (:

I just found this channel, it is very entertaining!

Well technically for any invention to happen then you have to use the previous technologies to invent new ones, so your not stealing them your just building on them

isn't ironic that edison dream (that every house should have their own electricity generator and every person a electric car) is fulfilled 100 years later by a company called tesla

Antonio Meucci, who was he and why am i posting this? I know, do you?🤔🔔 Well, Edison, in his later years was the person that stoped at a octagon on the way to build the wheel, as long he made money.

The definition of “I’m not a businessman I’m a business man”

Edison: the Elon musk of the 1800-1900s

This was a great video, and and wonderful breath of air to help ease things in this messed up view point. When growing up I've heard how great he was, and then the last decade I've been hearing about how utterly evil he was. This video helped me out a lot because it points out both are right, but not to their extremes. I don't agree with everything he's done, but I don't have to. I still buy lightbulbs from General Electric, so, there's at least some proof that I like his products. I do feel he could've been so much better, but, yes he did help supply the world with various things that we use now (even if they are in different formats such as blu-rays and iTunes and LED's).

Interesting choice using the Toon Blast game music haha

Edison, like all people, should be seen as a morally grey individual. None of us are completely good or completely evil (though some people through out history have gotten very close to one end of the spectrum).

Thanks for this counter balancing video. He was probably the most important figure for the promotion of science and engineering of his time. He employed and gave a platform to many creative minds for technological advancement. The US would probably not have progressed as quickly had it not been for his devotion to innovation and knack for business. As a businessman he was shrewd and merciless which is just the way you have to be to assure your brand survives. Nobody seems to care that Amazon is wiping out various businesses these days. It's just the nature of the beast. Give the people something they will rely on. He was a really admirable and complex person who, like all humans, had his flaws.

I imagine Nikola Tesla's strong internet fandom had something to do with the more negative perception of Edison you encounter these days.

A lot of people seem to have an intrest in demonizing or denying the contributions of past successful individuals. Eg. Edison, Columbus, etc. My assumption is that people do this to connect their lack of success to some moral superiority.

As an electronics engineer student I have to say the problem with DC at that time was that the voltage couldn't be changed so easily so at low voltage the energy decay faster than at high voltage, AC can change voltage just with two wires and that was easy by that time. But DC can change voltage now. It requires transistors and that is why then it has more drawbacks than ac, but now the dc to dc converter is way more efficient than ac to ac and then to dc, we have archived 99% efficiency in dc to dc and since it does not produce capacitive and inductance effects with ground it can be transported underground and underwater, it is needed to connect the world power supply and generate energy where is more convenient now ac is more limited than dc.