Without Kentucky, the world would be a much dimmer place, literally. Did you know that Louisville played a significant part in sharing one of the most important inventions in history? It all started with Thomas Edison being fired from his job and then returning in a full circle moment to promote his brightest invention, the incandescent light bulb.
Thomas Edison Once Lived in Louisville, KY
In 1866, when Thomas Edison was 19 years old, he moved to Louisville and worked as a telegraph key operator. He was very skilled and apparently, there was an operator shortage at the time, so he was quickly hired by Western Union. Edison was fascinated with improving the telegraph and he learned the ins and outs of electricity which helped him in his experiments going forward.
During this time, he rented the front room of an old house on Washington Ave in what is known as the Butchertown area. Working for the Associated Press wire, he took the night shift which allowed him some privacy to pull double duty and conduct experiments at work. The story goes that this situation did not end well.
While handling a vial of sulfuric acid one evening, he accidentally spilled it and it leaked through the floorboards onto his boss’ desk. As you can imagine, this did not go over well and he was fired! Thomas Edison then moved to New Jersey to continue working on his inventions in his famous Menlo Park laboratory.
Telegraphs, Phonographs, and Light Bulbs, Oh My!
Thomas Edison is known as one of the most prolific inventors in world history. With 1,093 US patents and more in other parts of the world, he is credited with creating a telegraph that could send multiple messages at once, the Phonograph for playing recorded sound (the great-grandfather of the record player, if you will), and the Kinetograph one of the earliest video cameras. These are only a few of the many inventions we still benefit from today.
Of course, he is most known for his work on electric lights and the incandescent light bulb. While Edison did not invent the light bulb, he made improvements to the type of filament used which made the bulbs last longer and more cost-efficient. As well as developing a generator to run the electricity. Because of this, he ended up back in Louisville, KY sixteen years later for the Southern Exposition.
Thomas Edison Lit Up Louisville, KY Southern Exposition in the Late 1800s
The Southern Exposition was a series of World’s Fair events over the span of five years. Located in the Old Louisville area, it showcased achievements in art, music, industry, horticulture, etc. but before Thomas Edison’s Electric Light Company came to town, they could only host during the day…