Thomas Edison, the great inventor known for creating the electric light bulb, the telephone transmitter, the movie projector, and the phonograph, among many other unexpected inventions, was considered a slow learner and mentally unstable in his childhood.
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Edison and his family |
When he was young, Edison was curious about everything and asked many questions. One day, he saw a hen hatching chicks and wondered: “How can a hen hatch chicks? Can I hatch chicks too?”
One evening, as night was falling and Edison had not returned home, his parents went out looking for him. After a long search, they found Edison in the neighbor’s chicken coop. Oh look! Edison was lying on a pile of straw, trying to hatch the chicks. Everyone who found out laughed heartily and considered him a foolish child!
At the age of seven, Edison started school, where his teacher was Mr. Anger, who sported a very peculiar mustache. His lessons were very dry, often repeating, “1+1=2”. Edison frequently had trouble paying attention in class, often thinking about strange things, such as: Rubbing against animal fur can generate electricity. If I connect wires to a cat and rub its fur, will it generate electricity?
Mr. Anger was frustrated with students who did not pay attention in class, and thus did not like Edison, who also did not enjoy his lessons. Three months later, Edison ranked last in his class. Mr. Anger told Edison: “I want your mother to come to school tomorrow!”
The next day, Edison’s mother, Mrs. Nancy, came to school. Mr. Anger said:
– “Dear Mrs. Edison, your son is struggling to keep up with his classmates and is too curious about absurd things. I believe he is a very poor student.”
Mrs. Nancy replied skeptically:
– “This boy is actually quite intelligent…”
– “Intelligent? Have you ever seen an intelligent child who ranks last in class?”
– “Last in class?” Mrs. Nancy asked suspiciously. “Could it be just a coincidence? I am a teacher myself. Sometimes a child’s intelligence does not reflect in their grades. Mr. Anger, I hope you will understand my son’s personality to help him appropriately; I believe he will improve.”
– “May I ask you, what is your son’s personality? In class, he doesn’t focus on the lessons; he’d rather be silent, but instead, he keeps asking bizarre questions. What do you call that?”
– “Could you be more specific? What do you consider bizarre?”
– “For example: 1+1=2, 2+2=4, any child listening would understand immediately, but your son asks: Why is 2+2=4? Don’t you see that asking why is bizarre?”
Mrs. Nancy disagreed and did not see it as bizarre:
– “Mr. Anger, to be honest, I don’t think asking such questions is bizarre. Newton sat under an apple tree and saw an apple fall and asked: Why does the apple fall down rather than up? That may seem like a bizarre question, but it led to the formulation of the Law of Universal Gravitation. Should we say that Newton shouldn’t have asked that?”
Mr. Anger suddenly felt flustered. He banged his hand on the table: “Who is Newton, and who is your son that you dare to compare them? Allow me to speak frankly, your son’s intellect is not normal compared to other children!”
Mrs. Nancy did not want to argue with Mr. Anger any longer. This was truly not a suitable environment for Edison to develop. She took Edison home and from then on, he was taught by his mother at home, beginning to study natural phenomena on his own.
“Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.”
— Edison —
