 listening library presents who was Thomas Alva Edison by Margaret Frith read for you by Kevin Perri so who was Thomas Alva Edison one day the Edison's couldn't find six-year-old Al as his family called him they were visiting Al's older sister and her husband on their farm it was just outside of Milan, Ohio the year was 1853 suddenly Al's uncle had an idea he ran out to the barn and there he found Al sitting on a pile of straw he was trying to hatch a goose egg he had seen a hen sitting on her eggs when some baby chicks came out Al wanted to make a baby goose come out of the egg the Edison's weren't surprised they had three other children but their youngest Al was the most curious he would be that way all of his long life the world was very different when Thomas Alva Edison was a child no electric light to see by no recorded music to listen to no movies to watch it was Edison who made all of these possible and much more changing our lives forever Edison firmly believed in inventions ones that could make everyday life easier and more comfortable that is exactly what he accomplished Thomas Alva Edison was perhaps the greatest inventor of his time chapter one always curious Thomas Alva Edison was born on February 11th 1847 on a cold snowy night in Milan, Ohio his parents Nancy and Samuel named him Thomas after his great uncle and Alva after captain Alva Bradley a good friend of his father the family