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Inventing the Lightbulb – How Fishing Inspired Edison
February 05, 2025 • EPISODE 251
Did you know Thomas Edison didn’t just invent the light bulb? He also fished for ideas! Listen as Roger Billings shares how a fishing trip led to one of the greatest inventions of all time.
About DrB
Dr. Roger Billings is a visionary innovator whose work has touched the lives of millions of students and transformed the landscape of education. Widely known as “DrB” to the countless kids who benefit from his groundbreaking Acellus learning system, Dr. Billings has dedicated his life to advancing education through technology.
As part of DrB’s lifelong commitment to supporting education, Science LIVE was launched as a way to “give back” by mentoring students in conjunction with the Roger Billings Scholarship Program.
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I had no idea that fishing inspired Edison and had a role to play in him creating the lightbulb. Thats so cool to me. And even though he created the lightbulb, there were people who made electric lights before his but not as well as him. This proves that science can always be adapted and improved. Awesome
how was the lightbulb thought of?
WOW bamboo is important. 😃 😊 😀 😄 😁 😆 😃
This was amazing Thomas Edison is the best! No matter what he never gave up.
How long did the first lightbulb last?
Sometimes fishing can solve your problems.
I love the fact that Thomas Edison never gave up!
Edison just shows that making mistakes is key towards success
Love Edison !
I’m so thankful for electricity and the light bulb!
Last year I went to New York and went to the catacombs they have at St. Patrick’s Basilica and one of them has working Edison light bulbs that belongs to Thomas T. Eckert he had been gifted them from Edison himself which I think is pretty cool.
Very fascinating when knowing inventors like Edison failed many times when making the lightbulb
Yay Edison! Where would be without these incredible inventions!
I learned that Thomas Edison didn’t just invented a light bulb he also fished for ideas!
This is super interesting!
WOW, this video was so entertaining, I love fishing.
I loved this
I really learned a lot from this video! Super interesting how fishing inspired Edison.
Had no Idea at all that fishing and Thomas Edison were related !
wow fishing seems so fun!
This story was funny and entertaining.
I think the Newton’s Cradle is really cool and it’s interesting watching the transfer of energy through the balls. I am going to ask for one!
I loved this
Its so interesting to see how the original lightbulbs work.
I love the story
This is awesome! Even though it took him so many tries to make the light bulb, he persevered and accomplished his goal. It’s very inspiring.
Thomas Edison was a genius
I didn’t know that about how fishing inspired Edison with the light bulb
I did not know fishing ever had anything to do with the light bulb. How cool!!
I’ve only went fishing a few times, but this make me want to make it a regular hobby.
I love Thomas Edison
I’ll have to discuss this with my family when we go fishing this weekend. Very interesting!
I love fishing
That’s so cool that fishing inspired Edison’s creations!
Wow its so interesting the fishing inspired Thomas Edison!
I didn’t know the lightbulb was inspired by fishing.
i go fishing all the time
the correlation between fishing and lightbulbs is extremely surprising, I love it!
It is really interesting on how fishing inspired Thomas Edison!
I will bring this up to my dad the next time we go fishing.
Who would’ve thought the lightbulb was inspired from a fishing trip.
I know that a filiment from bamboo can be used to make light bulbs last way longer, and that using flies to catch fish is really hard.
I love fishing!
I love how the two completely different things are related.
GREAT VIDEO
that’s cool
Wow!
amazing video!
I actually caught a small catfish once.
The fact that fishing inspired the lightbulb is crazy.
I love your fishing storys.
Wow fishing is so cool!
I had never heard the full story on how he got the idea for the lightbulb! So interesting.
Fishing is cool. I’m glad that it inspired the lightbulb.
Fishing is actually really fun
I thought it was intriguing how Edison got the idea for the lightbulb from a fishing trip. Nonetheless the world might be pretty different if he didn’t.
How crazy the story about fishing! Electricity is cool!
man i love fishing
I loved the fishing story
Thomas Edison was a genius.
It amazing how things work in this world. Thank goodness for science and technology, if it wasn’t for that we would still be living in the caveman days.
Thomas Edison is so cool
It is a really crazy thinking that a man wanting to be isolated created one of the greatest inventions ever.
This was an interesting science live. I always enjoy hearing stories about Thomas Edison. My family enjoys fishing, so the story about the king silver was fun to listen to.
Inspiring
I would have never guessed the light bulb invention came from a fishing trip.
I did not know he was a fisherman.
We really liked the finishing story and how inspired the edison to the greatest invention.
The connection between fishing and the lightbulb I thought was hilarious!!
All science is behind the inspiration. Great minds are so amazing.
We go fishing in the big boat. I like to catch big fish.
It was very surprising that Edison was the fisherman.
It was really surprising Edison even fished
Nice video, loved all the fishing stories.
Inspiring story
It’s amazing how fishing ended up creating one the best inventions us as humans have made thank you for the information
Love the fishing story! And I love to fish!
It was very interesting to learn that because Edison fished he learned about bamboo and fishing inspired him.
It’s interesting that the lightbulb came from a fishing trip, I would’ve never guessed that.
The fishing story was really cool and funny
super fun to learn about lightbulbs
Learning these things has been a highlight. I think it’s very cool how ideas come about.
Funny story but very cool
Inspiring story
How cool… My Family and I love fishing.
Love Science Live
It’s very cool how fishing pushed us into the furture of light
Very fun to learn so much about the light bulb.
So cool how Edison used fishing with bamboo to improve his idea!
interesting fish story
The story of Thomas Edison and his son’s fishing trip is really funny and I enjoyed it.
Very cool to learn about the light bulb.
It’s pretty cool how just a regular fishing trip could lead to a monumental discovery into something we use today.
I am so happy we have lightbulbs so we can see when it is dark. I thought it was amazing when I learned how Thomas Edison went about inventing the lightbulb.
I loved learning about the light bulb.
Was Thomas Edison really Dr.Billing’s mentor? Did he eat the fish he caught?🐟
I wonder what would happen if you use the intelligence tester on R-51? Ms. Pajet is our fishing expert.
I love Mr. Edison. Not only he changed the world but he is a a great role model. And I agree I think he invented the light bulb.
I like the Edison fishing story because that’s just how it go’s sometimes
Listing to this video on electricity now makes me want to go fishing.
I didn’t know that Thomas Edison have tried to find the perfect incandescent. He have tried over 1,000 incandescents.
I did not know the idea of a lightbulb came from fishing.
I think that without lightbulbs we would all have such a different life light if we did not have light it would be hard to see at night so could not do as much at night as we would during the day that is why I am so thankful that we have lightbulbs.
It’s so wild to me that Edison had 1000+ inventions
I wonder what if Thomas Edison haven’t gotten a bamboo fishing pole, will the world look just as it is today? Will someone else have an idea just as Edison and become the famous inventor that invented the lightbulb?
This is soooo interesting especially on how simple things like Edison fishing influenced his idea with the light bulbs, it truly makes you wonder before he passed did, he ever stop wondering about things we haven’t discovered to this day, things he could have invented?
And they thought he was crazy when he discovered how to make lightbulbs
I would have never guessed that correlation
That is a great story of fishing leading to lightbulb. He also invented the phonograph.
I never knew Thomas Edison was a fisherman. I found this interesting.
This is an example about how the real world can inspire. It’s similar to an apple falling from a tree leading to the discovery of gravity.
I knew I liked fishing! Thomas was a smart man!
it is so cool that fishing inspired him to created all of these thing because i fish in a bass club
edison is an interesting guy!
What else did Edison invented?
What else did he do
I am so glad we have lightbulbs for light!
wow I want to go fishing now!
Do you think fishing is the reason Edison decided to invent the light bulb?
There’s a theory that how Edison invented the incandescent, the theory is Edison dropped his bamboo fishing pole into the campfire, causing the ends to glow.
Thomas Edison is one of the most famous scientists for making a long-lasting lightbulbs I never thought of him as a fisherman.
I love fishing
Very educational!
This live makes me wonder if Edison used to go fishing with his dad in his youth,
I’ve never known Edison’s story
Have you ever solved a rubics cube?
The story of Edison is so inspirational 🤔
I love fishing, thats so cool how it sparked the idea of a lightbulb!
What other things did Thomas Edison create?
who was the first person to find out that you can move electrons from one atom to another?
Thomas Edison is one of the most famous for making long-lasting light bulbs, but I never saw him as a fisher.
I love fishing even more now after this lesson!
I never knew this about fishing
It’s crazy how fishing led to the development of the lightbulb!
pretty cool how fishing has so much to do with the light bulb
this is so cool who would’ve thought fishing had so much to do with the light bulb
That’s so col;)
Haha Fishing never seemed like it would have had something to do with the light bulb!
It is very interesting how light bulbs got invented
I enjoy fishing just like Thomas Edison. Maybe I will come up with the next great idea!
Light always helps us every day
WOW!!!
woah i didnt know this
I love fishing. My brother and I go fishing every week. And i love the history about Thomas Edison.
I would love to fish an hour a day.. maybe not with dynamite
It’s amazing how ideas come to people in the most random places like on a fishing trip
Who knew fishing could help invent the lightbulb!
I was today years old when I found out one simple idea can make so much history
Wow fishing had something to do with the light bulb crazy
I love fishing 🎣
Crazy I never knew the story of the light bulb to this extent.
Edison’s improvement on the lightbulb changed the world. This is awesome.
It’s so insane how something as simple as a fishing trip can lead to the inventions of something that has been so crucial for the rest of the world. It really shows that anything can mean something if you put your mind to it.
I love fishing
Woah! I wouldnt have thought about this!!
Fishing trip into a light bulb is crazy
Light bulbs are a great invention
This entire time I had thought that Thomas Edison was just a regular dude that created a lightbulb spontaneously, now I realized it was much more to that.
This was so fun to learn
I find it very interesting and special that Mr. Roger Billings was mentored by a student of Thomas Edison and Edison’s unique joy for fishing.
Going fishing changed the world forever.
Loved this one!
I’m glad Thomas Edison invented the light bulb!! Also fly fishing sounds interesting.
My brother is a big deep sea fisher.
i love the show
I have learned some new stuff today!
Wow. This was a fun episode. Wonder what other inventions were invented revolving around electricity?
I Liked when Roger Billing was talking about the invention of the light bulb.
my favorite thing to do during summer is fish
The fact that a simple fishing trip changed how we would live our lives and the development of the world is so cool!
I didn’t know fishing and the lightbulb had anything in common.
I could have never guessed that a fishing trip could change the world.
I love fishing
I guess bamboo isn’t just for pandas…
Fishing is one of my favorite hobbies
I liked watching the electron experiment. I thought it was cool when 2 electrons moved the two on the other side. I liked this video.
you know what they say, insperation can come from anywere
Loved the story about fishing.
Loved this one! We love fishing.
“She’s not impressed”….hahaha!!!
who knew fishing was so important!
it is so cool how Edison made the light bulb.
We take lightbulbs for granted every day, it’s fascinating to know that their creation stemmed from a fishing trip!
I never knew fishing could end up being that important!
Fishing is awesome! It helped Thomas Edison create the light bulb.
Thank God for creative minds.
I go fishing all the time, it was interesting to learn more about lightbulbs.
The fishing part surprised me a lot.
Fishing for ideas lol
think is so cool to learn that fishing inspired edision with inventing the light bulb, never knew that before today
Its crazy that Thomas Edison got his idea of light bulbs from fishing
Maybe I should go fishing for some new ideas, haha!
Well i was today years old when i learned that fishing had something to do with the light bulb.
Who would have known a fishing trip would change the world.
I love fishing!!!
This is so cool
WOW!
If he did not just make the lightbulb what other big ides has he made that has made a big impact on us
Bamboo?! Such a SMART IDEA!!!
It’s interesting that fishing can create ideas like Thomas Edison had.
Lightbulbs are taken for granted
Cool episode i think fishing is super calming and exciting and i think it is funny that Edison’s son caut a fish bigger than his!
How many patents did Thomas Edison hold by the end of his life
Crazy how this ends up happening!
I didn’t know Edison fished…
Wow this video was so cool! 🙂
This is really cool information I never knew Thomas Edison got ideas from fishing.
What was another idea that was maybe going to be used instead of the lightbulb?
very cool!
Imagine if we didn’t have light bulbs.
I love fishing myself so learning about those stories was really cool to hear.
I like the little black box with all the colors.
I can’t believe that technolgy is getting this advance.
It’s interesting that Edison Fishing led to him inventing the lightbulb.
It’s really interesting that Thomas Edison used fishing as a way to relax and brainstorm and come up with new ideas for his inventions!
I like the fishing stories. The shoe story was good.
wow wow!!!
I learned that the fiber of cotton is a light bulb, and it was need in the sense that it would light up.
I learned that we need fiber cotton to make light bulbs light up but sometimes when we need fiber cotton to make light bulbs light up the light bulb would be on for only about 10 hours and then the light bulb would burn out.
The fishing with dynamite story was very funny.
Interesting.
Very interesting
did Thomas Edison make other inventions if so what are they and what inspired him to make them
Fun video
Great video.
I fish 24/7. It is very fun, and not at all boring, in my opinion. In Minnesota on crystal lake, I caught close to a MN state record! I’ll give you a tip for plain fishing. Cast a night-crawler worm out into the water, without a bobber. let it sink for 15 seconds, and start slowly reeling. It works for monster bass, and northern pike! Best of luck!
-Fisher-woman, noel duke.
I love the fish tail
I feel very inspired after watching this.
I had no idea he invented this many big important things!
Loved the video!
How doses the lightbulb burn?
lightbulbs are very important
Wow, I didn’t’t know that Edison fished before he became a scientist.What types of bamboo were Edison using for fishing?
How does that rubic’s cube work if it was just screens?
Asked my parents if they remember their first computer! They gave me a grumpy look LOL
I love that Edison fished, I did know that. I love fishing!!!
awesome vid
I love this!
crazy how something as revolutionary as the lightbulb was inspired by a simple activity like fishing!
Love fishing! so cool to see he was inspired by it
Edison was a fisherman? Crazy to think about haha
I remember my mom told me Thomas Edison invented the light bulb.
Interesting video!
Thanks for the live
I find it amazing how someone can take something as common as fishing and morph it into a life changing invention.
Watching replay!
Woohoo! 🙌🙌🙌🎉🎉🎉
Wow I didn’t know he could fish like that.
I love “I’m not wanting to be tested.” Magic isn’t it
Wow!
this was very fun to watch
Such a fantastic video.
That’s crazy
I’m so glad lightbulbs were invented. It’d be such a dark world. (pun intended)
It was very interesting to learn how he was inspired.
love this live!
I believe that fishing played a crucial role in Mr. Edison’s success because it gives you a lot of quiet time to create ideas, and it teaches patience, which was necessary for testing 6,000 materials for the lightbulb.
Great video!!!!
Wow this is cool
i like fish
Light bulbs have been so important to society both in a revolutionary way and just its common usage day to day. Such a fascinating and crazy concept that Edison came up with then saw through.
Cool video
WAS THE LIGHTBULB THE ONLY INVENTION THOMAS EDISON INVENTED?
Have you ever solved a rubics cube? What was your shortest time? I have never been able to finish one.
Its amazing how science is sometimes discovered in the weirdest ways!
This was very cool!
I like how Thomas Edison invented light bulbs and fishing that is so amazing!
This is a nice video I loved it!!!!
Great video
I love learning about how the light bulb was invented
tHE INVENTION OF THE LIGHTBULB WAS ANAZING.
I thought Einstein was inspired by tesla
This shows how one human was inspired and invented a life changing invention and without it we would have multiple problems
wow!!
he’s been a very inspiring person
I didn’t know that Thomas Edison liked to fish.
Maybe a ridiculous statement but watching this with my daughter ( whom is a Acellus student) I’m wondering why details like this never made it into my experience when I was a student . To have a program that explains so much behind a scientific invention is truly remarkable. So glad my daughter and I can learn these things to really give us a better appreciation for what we have today.
Great video
Such a useful invention!
I’m so glad Edison invented the light bulb
Wow
It’s so interesting that fishing inspired him
It’s so interesting that the lightbulb was invented only after being inspired by something as simple as fishing, and now it’s used in daily life.
Thanks for all this info, you and I always find the same things interesting!
Really great lesson!
How many lightbulbs are made everyday?
this was so awesome
I never knew that a fishing trip led to Edison’s invention of the lightbulb.
i enjoyed the video
My dad really likes Edison, this lesson taught me more about him 🙂
Wow cool video!
It’s not surprising that his most popular invention became the symbol for a good idea itself
That’s cool
I think that it is awesome how fishing inspired Thomas Edison.
It’s so interesting how he was inspired like something simple like fishing.
This is amazing
How did Edison come up with the idea to make a generator?
This was a fun topic
It’s cool how creativity and thinking can turn everyday activities into an invention to solve a problem.
Thomas Edison was so talented!
Thank you for a interesting episode and I hope you all have a great week🥰
cool^^
That is so cool!
wow!!
cool 🙂
That’s awesome
this was a good video
wow!!
Hehe I like the auto rubex cube.
Wow that was a really cool video
Wow I didn’t know fishing was what he did! I think I wanna go fishing one day!
Very interesting ..
Great Video
crazy how he invented that.
This live was very interesting. It makes me want to go outside and fish!
Whoa I wonder what kind of “fish” Thomas Edison caught
Wow! This is such an interesting video!
that is really cool
What other kinds of things did he use to help figure out what would work for the light filament?
very great episode
I liked the Edison bulb. I also have a question. How are light bulbs made?
We are so blessed for the light bulb
that’s really cool
I like the light bulb
so fantastic!
wow I didn’t know Edison fished. very interesting video thanks
Loved this live
Hey y’all i liked the video. I’m sad I recently had a breakup but r51 always cheers me up!!
I loved this live!! And really enjoyed learning about this.
That was actually really cool!
Who knew a fishing trip help lead to the discovery of the light bulb.
So many interesting things to learn about Thomas Edison!
so interesting!
Interesting video
Interesting video!
Oh, wow! I never knew that fishing played a role in Thomas Edison inventing the light bulb. I love to fish so I think that’s really cool.
That is cool
What would we do without electricity?
What other inventions did Thomas Edison make?
I’m loving this.
Very fun video. I loved learning about inventions.
Wow! Guess we owe fishing the credit for the Edison light bulb. Also that other story of fishing with dynamite reminds me of the start of Crocodile Dundee 2.
Thomas Edison is really intelligent, who would’ve thought about using a string from bamboo!
The ground breaking discovery of the lightbulb is fascinating!
What else did Thomas Edison invent?
How old was Edison when he started creating the lightbulb?
The fish with dynamite story is really funny
I love snakes! I hope in a future episode reptiles will be examined and studied. Have a great week!😜
How did Paget solve the light rubix cube with her mind??
The dynamite fishing story was very funny story. Was it a true story?
Happy Valentine’s Day
Awesome video!
Inspiring
I’ve never gone fishing but I want to try someday
What is so special about that certain bamboo?
Great video of the light bulb invention by Thomas Edison!
I wonder how much the light bulbs cost when he invented them?
Its nice that Thomas Edison traveled to Japan to experiment, did he travel to any other countries besides Japan.
Was a really cool video! I really enjoyed learning more about Thomas Edison
This is an awesome video! I love having the knowledge about Thomas Edison!
I had no clue he invited other things!
did Thomas Edison make other inventions.
This is a great video. I did not know he invented more than just the light bulb. How old was Thomas Edison when he invented the light bulb?
Wow!! this was so cool!
I like the new intro to the science live, thankyou so much, I really enjoyed watching this video.
Where did Thomas Edison Live? Why was he so interested in science?
Hey DR,Billings, What was your favorite fish you ever caught?
I didn’t know that the lights were like welding bright and couldn’t be used inside. I think that Eddison’s light bulb was necessary.
Thank you for the video. I absolutely love this video and I am happy to learn something new.
This was a really interesting story about Thomas Edison! I never knew that!
I love learning about science, this is a great program for kids to watch. You are an inspiring homeschooling site.
I couldn’t imagine life as we know it without electricity and light.
Cool episode
What is the longest a lightbulb has lasted?
would we survive with out electricity?
I do not have the patience for fishing. I can never catch one!
does anybody else think how amazing, that such a small thing like fishing can lead to one of the most wanted and used things on earth?! 💡💡💡!