On a warm summer day, Vera was standing outside wondering about what to do.

Vera’s mom, Mrs. Angus saw her outside and sat by her.

“Vera, what are you doing?” Vera’s mom asks.

“I am thinking about what to do this summer.” Vera told her mom.

“You could innovate something,” Mrs. Angus said. She’s a history teacher and likes to talk about history to everyone, especially to the math teacher, Ms. Whiteside.

“What’s innovating?” Asks Vera.

“Innovating is improving something that is already invented like when Thomas Edison innovated the light bulb,” Mrs. Angus said.

“He made it better!” Vera told her mom,

“Yes! He innovated it.”

“How did he innovate the light bulb?” Vera asked her mom.

“Thomas Edison wanted to find a way to make the light bulb last longer, to perfect it. He began research in 1878 to make a perfect light bulb. He made his first patent that year called 'Improvement in Electric Lights” in October, 1878. This is what Edison looks like!” Mrs. Angus exclaimed.

"Wow he invented the light bulb a long time ago!" laughed Vera.

“What’s a patent?” Vera asked.

“A patent is a U.S. document that lets you invent something and other people can not steal your idea.” Mrs. Angus told her daughter.

“So when Edison innovated the light bulb, no one could copy him?”

“Yes that’s right!”

“How did he know how to do it?” asked Vera.

“He got a lot of his education at home. Thomas Edison set up a laboratory in the basement of his house in Michigan and spent most of his time experimenting," Mrs. Angus replied.

“My teacher told us in school that he always recognized the importance of hard work and determination,” Vera told her mom.

“Yes, also, some of the short term causes for Edison creating the light bulb were that he wanted to provide everyone with a good light bulb and make money off of it. The long term cause of his innovation was to bring power and light to all houses. He ended up getting 1,093 patents because of all of his hard work.”

“What were other effects of his innovation on the light bulb?” Asked Vera.

“Because of his innovation of the light bulb, there were some short term effects. Edison came up with new inventions later in his life like motion picture cameras and film. He also made the Edison Illuminating Company which later became the General Electric Corporation that now has services that range from Global Research, Healthcare, Lighting, Oil and Gas.” Mrs. Angus said.

“Some long terms effects were that he made it cheap, safe, and convenient to use light bulb even now in the future, he also created the ability to power businesses through the night because then the workers could see while they were working. Also, the light bulb had a wide shape and size availability for everyone to use light in different ways like different light bulbs for chandeliers and lamps.”