Life in the modern world would be unthinkable without his inventions. More than any other individual, he paved the way for the future. Thomas Alva Edison has rightly earned a place among the most important men in history. His inventions of the light bulb, phonograph and movie camera, among many others, literally transformed the world. Rare films made by Edison himself show the inventor at work, and learn the little known stories behind some of his 1,049 patents. From his Midwestern childhood to international acclaim, this is the fascinating story of "the Wizard of Menlo Park."