The Rise and Fall and Rise and Fall
and Rise of Thomas Alva Edison
Produced by The Kitchen Sisters, Davia Nelson & Nikki Silva
Listen with RealAudio in 14.4, 28.8, or G2 SureStream.
Look at the Edison Photo Gallery
More about Edison by historian Andre Millard
A Charred photo of Edison found after
his factory burned down. Photo Courtesy of Edison National Historic Site
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The Rise and Fall and Rise and Fall and Rise of Thomas Alva Edison
is
a two-part story that explores the recorded legacy of the near-deaf inventor of the
talking machine.
Part I -
Born before the Civil War, Edison died just two years after the stock
market crash of 1929. The inventor of the repeating telegraph, the
incandescent light bulb, the kinetoscope, x-rays, and the electric
pens---Edison came to be known as "The Wizard of Menlo Park". When he
died at 84, he held 1,093patents. "But of all of my inventions," Edison
said, "I liked the phonograph best.
Singer Frieda Hempel staging a Tone Test at the
Edison Studios, 79 Fifth Ave. NYC 1918 Courtesy of Edison National Historic Site
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The sounds in the story range from the first ever recorded words to
diamond discs cut in 1927. Some of these archival artifacts are worn by
time and play. But listen and you will hear some of the oldest sound
recordings that exist anywhere.
The Rise and Fall and Rise and Fall and Rise of Thomas Alva Edison Part I
was produced by The Kitchen Sisters, Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva in
collaboration with David Giovannoni and Jim Anderson. Mixed by Robin
Wise.
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Copyright © 1999 The Kitchen Sisters
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