Multiple choice general knowledge

What was Thomas Edison's first patent?

  1. electric vote recorder

  2. printing telegraph

  3. stock ticker

  4. automatic telegraph
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A Correct answer
Explanation

Thomas Edison's first patent was US Patent 90,646 for the electric vote recorder, filed in 1869 when he was 22 years old. This device allowed legislators to vote yes or no by turning a switch, which would record votes electronically. Unfortunately, it was not commercially successful because politicians were unwilling to speed up voting processes. Edison vowed to only invent things people would actually buy after this failure.

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