Edison, Thomas Alva (b. Feb. 11, 1847, Milan, Ohio, U.S.—d. Oct. 18, 1931, West Orange, N.J.) U.S. inventor. He had very little formal schooling. He set up a laboratory in his father’s basement at age 10; at 12 he was earning money selling newspapers and candy on trains. He worked as a telegrapher (1862-68) before deciding to pursue invention and entrepreneurship. Throughout much of his career, he was strongly motivated by efforts to overcome his handicap of partial deafness. For Western Union he developed a machine capable of sending four telegraph messages down one wire, only to sell the invention to Western Union’s
rival, Jay Gould, for more than $100,000. He created the world’s first industrial-research laboratory, in Menlo Park, N.J. There he invented the carbon-button transmitter (1877), still used in telephone speakers and microphones today; the phonograph (1877); and the incandescent light- bulb (1879). To develop the lightbulb, he was advanced $30,000 by such financiers as J.P. Morgan and the Vanderbilts. In 1882 he supervised the installation of the world’s first permanent commercial central power sys¬ tem, in lower Manhattan. After the death of his first wife (1884), he built a new laboratory in West Orange, N.J. Its first major endeavour was the commercialization of the phonograph, which Alexander Graham Bell had improved on since Edison’s initial invention. At the new laboratory Edi¬ son and his team also developed an early movie camera and an instru¬ ment for viewing moving pictures; they also developed the alkaline storage battery. Although his later projects were not as successful as his earlier ones, Edison continued to work even in his 80s. Singly or jointly, he held a world-record 1,093 patents, nearly 400 of them for electric light and power. He always invented for necessity, with the object of devising something new that he could manufacture. More than any other, he laid the basis for the technological revolution of the modem electric world.
Edmonton City (pop., 2001: city, 666,104; metro, area, 937,845), capi¬ tal of Alberta, Canada. Located on the North Saskatchewan River, in the centre of the province, it began as a series of fur-trading posts built from 1795. With the arrival of the railway and an influx of settlers in the late 19th century, Edmonton began to prosper economically, and in 1905 it became the capital of the new province of Alberta. The 1947 discovery of petroleum in the area greatly stimulated the city’s growth; an agricul¬ tural and oil-based economy still prevails. It is the distribution centre of northwestern Canada. Its cultural and educational institutions include the University of Alberta (1906).
Edmunds, George Franklin (b. Feb. 1, 1828, Richmond, Vt., U.S.—d. Feb. 27, 1919, Pasadena, Calif.) U.S. senator and expert on con¬ stitutional law. Despite little formal education, he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1849. He was a Republican member (1854-59) and speaker (1856-59) of the Vermont House of Representatives and a mem¬ ber and president pro tern (1861-62) of the Vermont Senate. He was appointed to the U.S. Senate in 1866 and served until 1891; he was chair¬ man of the Senate Judiciary Committee (1872-79; 1882-91) and presi¬ dent pro tern of the Senate (1883-85). Edmunds was active in the impeachment (1868) of President Andrew Johnson and was a founding member of the commission that decided the election of 1876. The act for the suppression of polygamy (1882) bears his name, and he was princi¬ pal author of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act (1890).
Edo \'ed-o\ culture Cultural period of Japanese history corresponding to the Tokugawa period of governance (1603-1867). Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Tokugawa shogun, chose Edo (present-day Tokyo) as Japan’s new capital, and it became one of the largest cities of its time and was the site of a thriving urban culture. In literature, Basho developed poetic forms later called haiku, and Ihara Saikaku composed virtuoso comic linked-verse and humorous novels; in theatre, both kabuki (with live actors) and bun- raku (with puppets) entertained townspeople (samurai, for whom theatre¬ going was forbidden, often attended in disguise). The development of polychrome woodblock printing techniques made it possible for ordinary people to obtain prints of popular kabuki actors or trendsetting courtesans (see ukiyo-e). Travelogues extolled the scenic beauty or historic interest of spots in distant provinces, and temple or shrine pilgrimages to distant places were popular. In scholarship, Kokugaku (“National Learning”) called attention to Japan’s most ancient poetry and oldest written histo¬ ries. The study of Europe and its sciences, called rangaku, or “Dutch learning,” became popular despite extremely limited contact with Europe. Neo-Confucianism was also popular. See also Genroku period.
Edom Ve-donA Ancient country of the Middle East, south of the Dead Sea. The Edomites probably occupied the area c. 13th century bc. Though closely related to the Israelites, they were in frequent conflict with and were probably subject to the Israelite kingdom (11th-10th century bc). Located on the trade route between the Arabian Peninsula and the Medi¬ terranean Sea coast, Edom was known for its copper industry. Later con¬ quered by the Nabataeans, the Edomites migrated to southern Judaea. Edom and neighbouring Moab were known in Maccabean and Roman times as Idumaea.
education Learning that takes place in schools or school-like environ¬ ments (formal education) or in the world at large; the transmission of the
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598 i education ► Edward VII
values and accumulated knowledge of a society. In developing cultures there is often little formal education; children learn from their environ¬ ment and activities, and the adults around them act as teachers. In more complex societies, where there is more knowledge to be passed on, a more selective and efficient means of transmission—the school and teacher— becomes necessary. The content of formal education, its duration, and who receives it have varied widely from culture to culture and age to age, as has the philosophy of education. Some philosophers (e.g., John Locke) have seen individuals as blank slates onto which knowledge can be writ¬ ten. Others (e.g., Jean-Jacques Rousseau) have seen the innate human state as desirable in itself and therefore to be tampered with as little as pos¬ sible, a view often taken in alternative education. See also behaviourism; John Dewey; elementary education; higher education; kindergarten; Lyceum movement; progressive education; public school; special education; teaching.
education, philosophy of Application of philosophical methods to the theory and practice of education. Among the topics investigated in the philosophy of education are the nature of learning, especially in children; the purpose of education, particularly the question of whether the chief goal of educators should be imparting knowledge, developing intellectual independence, or instilling moral or political values; the nature of education-related concepts, including the concept of education itself; the sources and legitimacy of educational authority; and the conduct of edu¬ cational research. Major figures in the history of the philosophy of edu¬ cation include Plato, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and John Dewey.
educational psychology Branch of psychology concerned with the learning processes and psychological issues associated with the teaching and training of students. The educational psychologist studies the cogni¬ tive development of students and the various factors involved in learning, including aptitude and learning measurement, the creative process, and the motivational forces that influence student-teacher dynamics. Two early leaders in the field were G. Stanley Hall and Edward L. Thorndike. See also