Thomas Edison

At the age of nine, he was performing scientific experiments on his own, and had set up a make shift laboratory in his own basement. To earn income for his further experiments, he got a job at Grand Trunk Railway, and worked as a newspaper boy and a candy salesman. Three years later, at the age of twelve, he got permission to move his limited basement laboratory to an abandoned freight car at the railway. He then earned enough money to purchase a printing press, which he used to publish and print his own newspaper, the Weekly Herald. One day, while working on an experiment his freight car caught on fire. The owner of the Grand Trunk became upset by this loss, and denied Thomas of using anymore of his freights. This was a devastating blow to Thomas, but he would regain the favor of the stationmaster. Approximately a week later, a small baby happened to crawl its way onto the tracks of an oncoming train, and Thomas dove in front of the train and swept the baby from the tracks, just a few seconds before the train sped on by. The baby happened to be the year old son of James Mackenzie, the stationmaster. Thomas was considered a hero, and in return for saving his baby, James had taught young Thomas telegraphy, or using a telegraph. In the winter of 1862, he was given a job as telegraph operator in a book and jewelry store, located in Port Huron. Soon he left that job, and was given the position as chief telegraph operator for the Grand Trunk Railway. He kept that job until the age of seventeen, where he traveled throughout the U.S. and Canada working as a telegraph operator for Western Union, and moving to wherever the money was the greatest. He worked mostly at night, party for the extra salary and party to continue his experiments during the day. He always kept written records of his experiments and inventions, so that no one would claim any of his material. Even though he went to all that trouble, he still would have to go to court to prove his authenticity later on in his career.