Thomas Alva Edison, a very famous inventor who lived during the 19th and 20th centuries, invented the incandescent light bulb, the phonograph, and over a thousand other devices. He was always thinking of new ways to do things. Perhaps his only invention that wasn't an "improvement" of another device was the phonograph. Many of his devices paved the way for current technology, while others, although interesting, had no market for general use. He was one of the smartest, most inventive, productive, and persevering people in history. (Thomas Alva Edison Biography) The first characteristic that is admirable is that Thomas E