Is Thomas Alva Edison the greatest scientist at his age?

No, he wasn't even a scientist. He was an inventor, so he was more like half engineer, half salesman. Like everyone's favorite, Elon Musk. Edison's inventions were generally more practical or affordable, which made them successful. read more

Thomas Edison had a lot of patents, the light bulb being the most noteworthy however he invented it by persistence rather than any great ingenuity but Nichole Tesla was a genius, far ahead in the technical standard and importance of his inventions. read more

In 1872, age 22, he enrolled as a Chemistry student at the Science Schools in South Kensington – these later became Imperial College. In the Physics Laboratory he watched Frederick Guthrie demonstrate the asymmetrical behavior of electrically charged hot metals – this was the Edison effect, observed a decade later by Thomas Edison in 1882. read more

Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman, who has been described as America's greatest inventor. 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. read more