| | [[File:Edison Phonograph 1877.jpg|thumb|President Harding speaking into recording apparatus, 1922.]] | | [[File:Edison Phonograph 1877.jpg|thumb|President Harding speaking into recording apparatus, 1922.]] |
| − | In 1876 Edison left his Newark lab and established a laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey, where he earned the nickname ''"The Wizard of Menlo Park"''. The following year, in 1877, he invented the first [[phonograph]]. The tin foil phonograph was the first machine that could record and reproduce sound. This invention brought him worldwide recognition and acclaim and he was invited to meet U.S. President [[Rutherford B. Hayes]] in the [[White House]]. In the winter, he vacationed (and operated a lab) in [[Fort Myers, Florida]] (industrialist [[Henry Ford]], who considered Edison his mentor, would purchase a house next to him in Fort Myers; the two houses are now owned by the city as a tourist attraction). | + | In 1876 Edison left his Newark lab and established a laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey, where he earned the nickname ''"The Wizard of Menlo Park"''. The following year, in 1877, he invented the first [[phonograph]]. The tin foil phonograph was the first machine that could record and reproduce sound. This invention brought him worldwide recognition and acclaim and he was invited to meet U.S. President [[Rutherford B. Hayes]] in the [[White House]]. In the winter, he vacationed (and operated a lab) in [[Fort Myers, Florida]] (industrialist [[Henry Ford]], who considered Edison his mentor, would purchase a house next to him in Fort Myers; the two houses are now owned by the city as a tourist attraction).<ref>https://www.edisonfordwinterestates.org/about/historical-people-places/</ref> |
| | In 1879, Edison developed the first working incandescent electric light bulb. The original idea for the light bulb had already been proposed, and different versions attempted, but no one had yet been able to develop an electric lighting system that was practical and economical enough for common use. | | In 1879, Edison developed the first working incandescent electric light bulb. The original idea for the light bulb had already been proposed, and different versions attempted, but no one had yet been able to develop an electric lighting system that was practical and economical enough for common use. |