Scavenger Hunt: Answer Key
Directions: Use the packet of primary sources to find the answers to the following
questions about Thomas Edison.
1. Where was Thomas Edison born?
Thomas Edison was born in Milan, Ohio.
2. This is a picture of Thomas Edison when he was 5 years old. In what year
was Edison born?
Thomas Edison was born in 1847.
3. How old was Edison when he began as a “candy butcher” and what year
was it? What was a “candy butcher”?
14 years old and it was 1861. He sold candy to travelers on the train.
4. What year did Edison receive his first patent and what was it for?
Edison’s first patent was granted in 1869 for the electric vote recorder.
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Activity 1.1: Using Timelines to Order Historical Events
5. Edison invented the Mimeograph machine in 1876. What was it used for?
The mimeograph was used to make copies of letters.
6. One year later, Edison was issued a patent for what invention?
One year later, Edison was issued a patent for the phonograph.
7. Edison’s first wife, Mary, died in 1884. What year did he remarry and what
was his new wife’s name?
Thomas Edison married Mina Miller in 1886.
8. In what year was their first child born? What was her name?
Edison’s first child was born in 1888 and her name was Madeline.
9. In 1897, Thomas received a patent for an invention that made movies
possible. What was its name?
The kinteographic camera.
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Activity 1.1: Using Timelines to Order Historical Events
10. In what year did Edison receive the Congressional Medal?
Edison received the Congressional Medal in 1928.
11.The following year was the Golden Jubilee of the light bulb. What does that
mean?
The 50th anniversary of the invention of the light bulb.
12. In 1921, Edison went camping with some famous friends. Who was the
president at the time? Two other important men were there, too. What
were their names and what did they do?
The president at the time was Warren G. Harding. Henry Ford invented the
car. Harvey Firestone invented pneumatic tires.
13. In what year did Thomas Edison die?
Thomas Edison died in 1931.
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Activity 1.1: Using Timelines to Order Historical Events
14. In 1947, the US Post office issued an Edison commemorative stamp. Why
did they do it this year?
This celebrated the 100th anniversary of Edison’s birth.
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Activity 1.1: Using Timelines to Order Historical Events