Thomas Edison is associated with many inventions and innovations, and by the time of his death in 1931, "Edison" had become a household name. While that introductory sentence has a symbolic meaning, "Edison" and Edison-branded products had quite literally become a household name for many. Almost everything in a household in the early 20th century had some connection to the great inventor. His name became as synonymous with household items as Walt Disney's name became synonymous with the film industry. At the Don Gfell Educational Center at the Thomas A. Edison Birthplace Museum in Milan, Ohio, there is a large collection of one-of-a-kind Edison-branded items that most do not know even existed.
The story of Edison’s Mazda Lamps begins with the Mazda’s predecessor, the Edison GEM Lamp. GEM stood for "General Electric Metallized" (not "Greatest Ever Made" as it stood for with Thomas Edison’s phonographs), and in 1904, they were created as an incredibly energy-efficient alternative to other light bulbs of the time. While it was marketed as the "Edison GEM Lamp," it was actually created by Willis Whitney who used a standard cellulose filament which was then baked in an electric-resistance furnace, giving the filament metal-like properties. As a result, the GEM light bulb looked pretty much like every other light bulb GE had made but was far more efficient than its contemporary competitors.
However, sales of the GEM lightbulb were not off the charts, which led GE’s marketing team to enhance its advertising campaign for its 1909 lightbulb, which had a metal filament and was even more energy-efficient than its GEM predecessor: the Edison Mazda Lamp. The Edison Mazda lamp first used tantalum as a filament, and then used tungsten as a filament for later models. The Edison Mazda Lamp produced a much brighter and whiter light than that of Edison’s early carbon filament lamps. The lightbulb earned its name from the Zoroastrian god of light, god of the sky, and creator of the universe, Ahura Mazda.
Ahura Mazda is the sole god of Zoroastrianism, a monotheistic religion that dates back over 4,000 years, which makes Zoroastrianism one of the oldest monotheistic religions. Zoroastrianism, while its adherents are small in number compared to larger religions, is still practiced today. Zoroastrianism was the religion of some of the earliest and biggest empires to exist and often is covered as a part of the Ohio Department of Education’s Social Studies Standards for sixth-grade social studies.
General Electric sold thousands of light bulbs under the Edison Mazda brand, and the company sold the lightbulb and its associated models for an impressive forty years before discontinuing the line in 1949. GE licensed the “Mazda” name and the technology in the light bulbs out to many different companies, including to Edison’s noted rival, Westinghouse. In fact, General Electric still retains the original trademark to the “Mazda” name, with the only other product sold in the United States with the “Mazda” name belonging to the cars produced by the Japanese car manufacturer, Mazda.
When Thomas Edison was not working on lightbulbs to rival the sun, he was working on a line of so-called “electric servants” to help make everyday life around the house a little bit easier. In the 1880s, Thomas Edison had created one of the first electric fans. By the time 1927 rolled around, 60% of American homes had electricity, and Thomas Edison looked to help more homeowners use their newfound energy source. Edison developed a line of luxury appliances called “Edicraft”. The Edicraft line of products specialized in high-quality appliances, and under the purview of Charles Edison, Thomas Edison’s son, the brand produced numerous household appliances such as toasters, hot plates, waffle irons, stoves, ranges, sandwich makers, and even electric refrigerators.
The Edicraft line even included an electric siphonator. The Edicraft Siphonator was half coffee pot and half teapot, and while the Edicraft Siphonator worked as an idea, it wasn’t extremely practical. The entire Edicraft line of products faced an early demise in 1934 as the Great Depression put an end to the demand for luxury appliances.
Thomas Edison was not just building the devices that went into homes, but he was also literally building the homes themselves. Thomas Edison began his own cement company called the Edison Portland Cement Company after being stuck with excess waste sand which was a byproduct of his iron ore milling operations. He, being a chemist at heart, decided to complete multiple experiments with this leftover sand and determined that it could actually make cement that was significantly harder. Coupled with a giant rotary kiln, the Edison Portland Cement Company was able to produce some of the toughest cement in the world at some of the highest quantities.
Edison’s Portland Cement was used in homes, buildings, roads, dams, and for other structures. Most notably, Edison’s Portland Cement was handpicked as the cement of choice to build the first Yankee Stadium. Creating Yankee Stadium was a gargantuan task, as the Edison Portland Cement Company had to create 30,000 cubic yards of concrete, made from 45,000 barrels of cement, 30,000 cubic yards of gravel, and 15,000 cubic yards of sand. For reference, it took the equivalent of 555 Olympic-sized swimming pools of gravel and 278 Olympic-sized swimming pools of sand to create Yankee Stadium. While innovative, the Edison Portland Cement Company was largely never economically prosperous due to the fact that Edison’s massive rotary kiln often overproduced cement, meaning that the company always had far more than they could sell or use.
So while Edison may have been best known for his phonographs, his incandescent bulbs, and his motion pictures, he also changed the world through his Mazda lamps, his Edicraft line of appliances, and his Portland Cement. All of these products, along with an even larger collection of Edison branded items, can be seen in person and studied further at the Don Gfell Educational Center located at the Thomas A. Edison Birthplace Museum in Milan, Ohio.
Sources Used and Encouraged for Further Reading
British Broadcasting Corporation. 2009. “Religion: Zoroastrianism.” BBC. https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/zoroastrian/.
Crary, David. 2022. “Ancient but small in number, Zoroastrians confront depletion of their faith.” PBS. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/ancient-but-small-in-number-zoroastrians-confront-depletion-of-their-faith.
Ohio Department of Education. 2018. “Ohio's Learning Standards for Social Studies.” Ohio Department of Education. https://education.ohio.gov/getattachment/Topics/Learning-in-Ohio/Social-Studies/Ohio-s-Learning-Standards-for-Social-Studies/SSFinalStandards01019.pdf.aspx?lang=en-US.
Smith, Peter. 2011. “Feast Your Eyes: Before the George Foreman Grill Came Thomas Edison's Edicraft Toaster.” Good Worldwide. https://www.good.is/articles/before-the-george-foreman-grill-came-thomas-edison-s-edicraft-toaster.
Smithsonian National Museum of American History. 2020. “Lighting A Revolution: Ink Blotter 112, "His Only Rival."” National Museum of American History. https://americanhistory.si.edu/lighting/history/blotters/blot112.htm.
Smithsonian National Museum of American History. 2020. “Lighting A Revolution: Ink Blotter 116, "The Edison GEM Lamp."” National Museum of American History. https://americanhistory.si.edu/lighting/history/blotters/blot116.htm.
University of Rutgers-New Brunswick School of Arts and Sciences' Thomas A. Edison Papers. n.d. “Inventions: Cement.” Life of Edison. Accessed November 25, 2024. https://edison.rutgers.edu/life-of-edison/inventions?catid=91&id=528&view=article.
Dillon Liskai, a native of Clyde, Ohio, is currently a junior at Bowling Green State University. He is pursuing a degree in Adolescent to Young Adult (AYA) Integrated Social Studies Education with a specialization in History.
For the past three years, Dillon has worked as a tour guide at the Thomas A. Edison Birthplace Museum. When not at school or the museum, he enjoys cheering on the Bowling Green Falcons, spending time with friends and family, and exploring local history.
Have a question for Dillon? Reach out via email at dliskai@tomedison.org!
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