Thomas Alva Edison,who was born in USA,could not go to school,due to his poor health.He read books,sitting at home only.He had invented and patented 1100 products.No other scientist,so for has beaten that record.
He was born poor,but did not die poor.Being born poor,is not in our hands. But dying poor,is 100%,in our hands.Edison sold,news papers,in running trains,to earn money.
When we read,the biographies of scientists,we realise that,majority of them ,were born poor,and they did not go to any University,for higher studies,beyond schooling.Many were school drop outs.Some have not even seen the school.
Following are the popular sayings of Edison:
1.I have not failed.I have just found,10,000 ways,that did not work.
2.Genius is ,one percent inspiration and ninety nine percent perspiration.
3.Our greatest weakness lies,in giving up.The most certain way to succeed,is always,to try,just one more time.
4.Many of life’s failures are people,who did not realise,how close they were,to success,when they gave up.
5.The first requisite for success,is the ability to apply your physical and mental energies,to one problem ,successfully.
Edison was the one,who invented electric bulb.That has made the life of people,all over the world ,comfortable.We have to thank him for that.
Michael Faraday,was the one,who laid the foundation,for developing electric motor,generator and transformer.He lived with one loaf of bread,for a week.He used to cut that loaf,into 14 pieces,and ate two pieces a day ,with little butter.He did not go to school,since he could not afford that.He earned his lively hood,by binding books,in a circulation library.Such was his poverty.But his interest in inventing things,made him a scientist.He was born in England.We have to thank him for his inventions,which had helped,in modernising industries.
Edward Jenner,who developed the vaccine for small pox,was born in Scotland.He hardly did his school education.During his time,people were dying in thousands,all over Europe,due to small pox.Jenner did not study medicine,to become a doctor.He worked as an assistant to a doctor.The death rate of people in Europe,due to small pox,forced him to develop the vaccine for small pox.Doctors,refused to recognise his vaccine,in the beginning.They laughed at him,for the vaccine,he developed.But ,that is the only vaccine,till date ,being used all over the world.We thank Jenner,for the life saving vaccine,he developed.
Wright brothers,who developed the aeroplane,were born in USA.They were not born in a rich family.Their father was a pastor and mother was a school teacher.Their mother gave them the sketch to make a sledge,which won them first prize,in a gliding race.Similarly,they modified an ordinary cycle,to win the prize in the cycle race,based on the idea,given by their mother.They decided to make an aeroplane,seeing a bird flying.Their father was against that idea,since already,one person had died,while developing an aeroplane.But those brothers did not give up,till they made the plane.Thanks to Wright brothers.To day,we are able to cover a distance of 12,000 kms (Dubai to Seattle in USA) in 14 hours,in a non stop flight. So,what inspires a person,to become a scientist?
Lack of wealth or education does not stop,any one ,from becoming a scientist.If one has the interest and inspiration,to achieve something in life,he or she would become a scientist.
Foundation for Rational Thinking
