S4, Ep6 Thomas Edison: seeing the light

Have you ever wondered who had the bright idea of inventing the light bulb?  Well, it’s credited to a rather unusual man, Thomas Edison. An man who had a gift  – not so much for inventing as for taking an existing idea, and finding ways to make it better, or cheaper, or both. During his lifetime Thomas Edison invented a truly extraordinary range of things – ideas that define our modern world – but he is best known for inventing the electric light bulb. And guess what? He didn’t even invent it. People had been making wires glow with heat since 1761. But he worked out that by using a carbonised bamboo filament a bulb could last over 1,200 hours.  His whole life is an extraordinary true story. We hope you enjoy listening. Narrated by Sophia Milburn Sound editing by Max Watson Script by Camilla Akers-Douglas Produced by Camilla Akers-Douglas and Henrietta McMicking Theme music by James Burrell Music Instagram @wonderpodcasts Twitter @wonder_podcast Facebook @wonderpodcasts To contact us, email [email protected] or [email protected]