USS Edison (DD-439) USS Edison (DD-439) USS "Edison" (DD-439), a , was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for Thomas Alva Edison, an inventor and businessman who developed many important devices and received the Navy Distinguished Service Medal for his contributions to the Navy during World War I. "Edison" was one of the few U.S. Navy ships to be named for a civilian. "Edison" was launched 23 November 1940 by Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Kearny, New Jersey sponsored by Mrs. Thomas Alva Edison, widow of the inventor; and commissioned 31 January 1941, Lieutenant Commander A. C. Murdaugh
Young Tom Edison Young Tom Edison Young Tom Edison is a 1940 biographical film about the early life of inventor Thomas Edison, with Mickey Rooney in the title role. The film was the first of a complementary pair of Edison biopics that Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer released in 1940. "Edison, the Man" starring Spencer Tracy soon followed to complete the two-part story of Edison's life. The film had a special preview on February 10, 1940 in Port Huron, Michigan, the place where Thomas Edison spent his childhood. The movie follows the imaginative boy Tom as he continually gets into mischief and causes accidents locally with his