England was the leading European colonial power and had already established much of its overseas empire by the beginning of the 19th century. France was second, with its holdings in Southeast Asia and in North Africa, both. of these being established during the 19th century.
Thomas Edison married Mary Stilwell on December 25, 1871 (he was 24, she was 16).   She died on August 9, 1884.   He was married a second time, on February 24, 1886, at â¦the age of 39. His second wife's name was Mina Miller.
But before Thomas Alva Edison, people had no way of recording sound, much less capturing moving pictures. With 1,093 patents for inventions that range from light bulbs to cement, Edison was one of the world's most prolific tinkerers. Let's take a look at some of Edison's inventions that still inspire dreamers today: 1  The Phonograph (1877) -- Edison earned his nickname The Wizard of Menlo Park in November 1877 when he invented the world's first method of recording and playing back sound.