In LET THERE BE LIGHT, a 1940s educational film, the story of Thomas Edison is told. The film opens with the miracle of glittering modern cities and Times Square. (00:00:15:00) Vintage footage of an elderly Edison speaking is shown at (00:00:27:00). Edison’s childhood home in Ohio is shown at (00:01:28:00). Vintage railroad footage is shown at (00:01:45:00). Telegraph lines being erected are shown at (00:02:00:00) , a job Edison had as a young man at seventeen. He soon became a telegraph operator for four years. Footage of telegraph operation can be seen at (00:02:15:00). Very old footage of the streets of New York City can be seen at (00:02:30:00), along with the stock exchange (00:02:35:00) that Edison invented a new ticker machines for. Footage of his first home as a married man in New Jersey is shown at (00:02:50:00). Footage of Edison’s first phonograph talking machine can be seen at (00:03:03:00). Footage of Edison’s improvements to the type-writer (00:03:18:00) and the telephone (00:03:28:00) are shown before moving on to his research on the electric light. (00:03:35:00) The working light bulb can be seen at (00:04:00:00). More vintage footage of New York City can be seen at (00:04:10:00). An original power station is shown at (00:04:13:00), of which Edison created all the machinery for. Following this achievement came the electric trolley. (00:04:42:00)

In 1917, some thirty years after the invention of the electric lamp (00:04:50:00), Edison moved his laboratory to West Orange, New Jersey. (00:05:20:00) Edison’s private library, along with more vintage footage of the genius himself, can be seen at (00:05:40:00). A storage battery he invented can be seen at (00:06:20:00). Footage of his invention of the first motion picture camera can be seen at (00:06:50:00), along with the first motion picture studio in the world. (00:06:57:00). Edison then received the Congressional Medal of Honor from Secretary of the Treasury Andrew Mellon. (00:07:15:00) An elderly Edison can be seen camping with Henry Ford and John Burroughs at (00:07:33:00). Footage of a very old Edison waiting on a train can be seen at (00:08:10:00). Edison’s last project, the search for a rubber substitute, can be seen at (00:08:55:00). An eighty-four year old Edison can be seen interview at (00:09:33:00). Months later, Edison’s grave is shown. (00:10:25:00) The film ends with various footage of Edison’s invention’s contributing to society. (00:10:40:00)

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com