Read About Famous Inventors

Have you ever switched on a light, made a phone call, or watched a video? All of these were invented — created by someone who had an idea and worked hard to make it real.

What is an inventor?

• An inventor is a person who creates something new that has never existed before.
• Inventors solve problems. They look at the world and ask: "How could this be easier? How could this be better?"
• An invention is the new thing they create. Inventions can be tools, machines, medicines, or ideas.

What is a biography?

• A biography is a nonfiction text that tells the true story of a real person’s life.
• When you read a biography about an inventor, look for: their name, where and when they lived, what problem they tried to solve, what they invented, and how their invention changed the world.

Three inventors to know

• Thomas Edison — invented the long-lasting light bulb (1879). Before this, people used candles and gas lamps to see in the dark.
• Alexander Graham Bell — invented the telephone (1876). He made it possible for people to talk to each other over long distances for the first time.
• Marie Curie — discovered two new elements, polonium and radium, and developed X-ray machines that helped doctors see inside the human body.