Thomas Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He and his company developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. As the founder of Edison Records and the Motion Picture Patents Company, he was an important early influence on the music and movie industries.
We have managed to assign Edison a tenuous Erdős number of 6, and slightly more justifiable Bacon and Sabbath numbers of 5 and 6, respectively.
[^shaky]: Although Edison and Francis Upton worked together on the lightbulb, only Edison’s name appears on the patents. Their collaboration can be established by Upton’s expository article in Scribner’s Monthly endorsed by Edison.
[^studied]: Upton took postgraduate studies in Hermann von Helmholtz’ Berlin laboratory, but left to work with Edison. Although Helmholtz wrote highly of Upton’s skill, we do not have any record of a coauthored publication between the two.
Thomas Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He and his company developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. As the founder of Edison Records and the Motion Picture Patents Company, he was an important early influence on the music and movie industries.
We have managed to assign Edison a tenuous Erdős number of 6, and slightly more justifiable Bacon and Sabbath numbers of 5 and 6, respectively.
Erdős 6
Thomas Edison
Edison’s Electric Light [^shaky]
Francis R. Upton
studied under [^studied]
Hermann von Helmholtz
taught
Freidrich Schottky
taught
Konrad Knopp
Beiträge zur absoluten Limitierung
G. G. Lorentz
On the probability that n and g(n) are relatively prime
Paul Erdős
[^shaky]: Although Edison and Francis Upton worked together on the lightbulb, only Edison’s name appears on the patents. Their collaboration can be established by Upton’s expository article in Scribner’s Monthly endorsed by Edison.
[^studied]: Upton took postgraduate studies in Hermann von Helmholtz’ Berlin laboratory, but left to work with Edison. Although Helmholtz wrote highly of Upton’s skill, we do not have any record of a coauthored publication between the two.
Bacon 5
Thomas A. Edison
Edison Drawn by World Artist
J. Stuart Blackton
The Automobile Thieves
Florence Lawrence
The Old Fashioned Way
Maxine Elliott Hicks
Beethoven
Oliver Platt
Loverboy
Kevin Bacon
Sabbath 6
Thomas Edison
"The Wizard of Menlo Park" [^sample]
Chumbawamba
"Sometimes Plunder"
MC Fusion
"RTA" — Credit to the Nation
Chuck D
"Funny Vibe" — Living Colour
Doug Wimbish
Time Machine
Joe Satriani
Hey Stoopid
Ozzy Osbourne
[^sample]: Edison’s appearance on Chumbawamba’s album Un is a sample of an early phonograph recording of him reciting "Mary Had a Little Lamb".
Credits
Discovery: ali on the QI forums, ACR, Alex Gray