Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. Dubbed "The Wizard of Menlo Park", he was one of the first inventors to apply the principles of mass production and large-scale teamwork to the process of invention, and because of that, he is often credited with the creation of the first industrial research laboratory. The following, from 1908, is a commemoration at the New York Electrical Show of the 50th anniversary of the first Atlantic cable.

Thomas Augustus Watson (January 18, 1854 – December 13, 1934) was as a bookkeeper and a carpenter before becoming an assistant to Alexander Graham Bell, aiding in the the invention of the telephone in 1876. He is best known because his name was one of the first words spoken over the telephone...