Timeline

1847—On February 11^th, Thomas Edison was born in Milan, Ohio.

1863—Over the next six years, Edison was a telegraph operator 
            where he learned much about the machine.

1868—Edison files his first of many patents on an automatic vote
            recorder.

1869—Edison stops being a telegraph operator to focus on
            inventing.

1871—Edison starts a factory and laboratory in Newark, New Jersey
            and marries Mary Stillwell.

1874—Edison invents the Quadruplex Telegraph that could send two
            messages while receiving two messages all on the same wire.

1877—Edison invents the carbon transmitter and phonograph.

1879—Edison invents the carbon filament lamp and direct current
            generator.

1880—Over the next four years, Edison commercializes the electric
             lamp and builds power stations to power the lights.

1884—His wife, Mary Stillwell, dies.

1886—Marries Mina Miller and makes improvements to the
            phonograph, calling it the graphophone.

1888—“The War of Currents” begins between Edison and George
            Westinghouse. 

1892—General Electric is formed when Edison General Electric
            merged with The Thompson-Houston Company.

1896—Edison invents the Home Phonograph with a spring motor to
            provided consumers with an inexpensive phonograph.

1900—Edison works on creating an electric car storage battery.

1909—Edison makes the alkaline battery for electric cars but it
            becomes commercialized for other uses when the demand for
            electric automobiles drops.

1931—October 18, Edison dies in Llewellyn Park, New Jersey.

All information on this timeline was found at
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/edison/timeline/index.html