By the time he died in 1931, Thomas Alva Edison was one of the most famous men in the world. The holder of more patents than any other inventor in history, Edison had achieved glory as the genius behind such revolutionary inventions as sound recording, motion pictures, and electric light. Edison explores the complex alchemy that accounts for the celebrity of America's most famous inventor, offering new perspectives on the man and his milieu, and illuminating not only the true nature of invention, but its role in turn-of-the-century America's rush into the future.

Streaming video file encoded with permission for digital streaming by Infobase on June 19, 2015.

Introduction: Edison --(3:42) -- Edison: The Birth of an Inventor -- (1:39) -- Edison: Early Years & Telegraphy -- (4:22) -- Edison: Agile Inventor -- (2:50) -- Edison: Menlo Park Laboratory -- (2:16) -- Thomas Edison v. Alexander Graham Bell -- (2:50) -- Edison: Invention of the Phonograph -- (3:38) -- Edison: Phonograph Leads to World Fame -- (3:22) -- Edison: The "Wizard" of Menlo Park -- (4:00) -- Edison's Marriage to Mary Stilwell Edison -- (3:30) -- Edison: A New Idea Sparks -- (5:40) -- Edison's Denouncement -- (2:19) -- Edison: The invention of Electric Light -- (4:38) -- Edison: Unveiling of the Light Bulb -- (2:13) -- Edison: Powerful Wave of Change -- (2:29) -- Edison Electric Light Company -- (4:09) -- The Death of Mary Stilwell Edison -- (3:52) -- Edison: A New Lifestyle -- (3:48) -- Edison: A New Laboratory -- (3:38) -- Edison: Resurgence of a Rivalry -- (4:31) -- Edison: Competitor Invents Alternating Current -- (3:44) -- Edison's Ruthless Campaign -- (3:56) -- Edison: Mining Iron -- (4:58) -- Edison: The Black Maria -- (4:37) -- Edison: The First Motion Picture Device -- (3:44) -- Edison: The Vitascope -- (3:24) -- Thomas A. Edison Inc. -- (5:08) -- Edison the Celebrity -- (4:23) -- Edison Retires -- (2:47) -- Edison: Death of the Inventor -- (5:10) -- Credits: Edison -- (1:23).