Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931) was an
American inventor and
businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the
phonograph, the
motion picture camera, and the long-lasting, practical electric
light bulb. Dubbed "The Wizard of Menlo Park", he was one of the first inventors to apply the principles of
mass production and large-scale teamwork to the process of invention, and because of that, he is often credited with the creation of the first industrial
research laboratory.