The Edison Effect

What if Thomas Edisonโ€™s greatest discovery wasnโ€™t the light bulb? In this episode of Science LIVE, Dr. Roger Billings explores the Edison Effect and how Edisonโ€™s experiments paved the way for electron tubes and modern electronics. Discover why this overlooked breakthrough mattered thenโ€”and why it still shapes technology today.

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 โ€œDrBโ€ 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 DrBโ€™s lifelong commitment to supporting education, Science LIVE was launched as a way to โ€œgive backโ€ by mentoring students in conjunction with the Roger Billings Scholarship Program.


Read more about DrB ยปย 
About the Roger Billings Scholarship Program ยป

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6,419 Comments

  1. Jaiden

    Thanks for teaching me something new! Amazing as always!!

    Reply
  2. Jaiden

    Happy New years to every scientist!

    Reply
  3. Alexander

    I believe NASA is also working on the Artemis space program and hopefully land some people on the moon by the end of this decade.

    Reply
  4. Layla

    Im glad to be back after break feels like a fresh start. I liked Dr. Tobias lesson about phones. I personally actually think that stylists are pretty cool honestly but also as much as I disagree with phones in general I am very glad I have one and am incredibly thankful ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  5. Aiden

    I wonder what manner of brilliant inventions Mr. Edison would create if he was alive today

    Reply
  6. Kylie

    We love Thomas Edison! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  7. Baleigh

    I wish I could’ve met Thomas Edison and learned things from him.

    Reply
  8. Eleanor

    How exciting is the new ASL class. I am learning it at home. When will the class begin?

    Reply
  9. Addison

    Happy New Years! Thank you for teaching me fun stuff about science every week!!

    Reply
  10. Joseph

    Happy Holiday to all the Acellus Staff, May we all have a grand new year!

    Reply
  11. Journey

    Is the American Sign Language course going to be available for high schoolers? I say this because I am really interested in learning ASL. I love you too R51!

    Reply
  12. Doraine

    Happy New Years to everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend with family.

    Reply
  13. Aishlin

    What modern technologies are based on the Edison Effect?

    Reply
  14. Destaney

    i hope everyone is having a good new year so far!!!!

    Reply
  15. Dominic

    We just built a house. I would love to have a telescope to enjoy the stars, galaxies, etcโ€ฆ with my family.

    Reply
  16. Arianna

    I learned about the new space telescope NASA just assembled.

    Reply
  17. Abigail

    Oh my gosh Edison! You were such a great inventor! I hope to be like him maybe in the future!

    Reply
  18. Sereen

    science is my favorite subject!

    Reply
  19. Sydney

    Thomas Edison was an extremely intelligent man

    Reply
  20. Kindley

    I learned that phones were made by engineers. Thomas Edison made the vacuum tube. The Hubble telescope would take about 435 pictures of the galaxy.

    Reply
  21. Zoie

    I am supper excited to hear more about American sign language.

    Reply
  22. Jacob

    R51 is hilarious

    Reply
  23. Avery

    I love r51 and happy new year

    Reply
  24. Victoria

    I am excited for the new year of videos!

    Reply
  25. Iranddy

    I love learning about Thomas Edison Dr. rogers mentor mentor.

    Reply
  26. Jayla

    This was a wonderful video my favorite part was learning about the history of how iphones were made.

    Reply
  27. Zakiyah

    Happy New Years Science Live!

    Reply
  28. Brandon

    ๐Ÿ˜Ž cool

    Reply
  29. Connor

    I still canโ€™t believe it is 2026

    Reply
  30. Arlen

    Thomas Edison was a great scientist.

    Reply
  31. Asher

    Really cool and i liked the end a lot๐Ÿ˜‚

    Reply
  32. Avery

    Wow, science is incredible!

    Reply
  33. Eli

    It is cool how the phone was made.

    Reply
  34. Ronin

    Edison was a MASTERMIND !!

    Reply
  35. Payton

    I loved this weeks Science live! It was really interesting and I can’t wait to see what they have for us next week!!

    Reply
  36. Tessa

    I love nebulas!

    Reply
  37. Kaylee

    I love these so much

    Reply
  38. Clara

    When I saw the Nokia I instantly thought of the Nokia ringtone. Happy New Year.

    Reply
  39. Logan

    Thomas Edison was a genius

    Reply
  40. Megan

    Everything that Thomas Edison did is so interesting. We need more people like him!

    Reply
  41. Kody

    Seeing this after watching a documentary on Thomas Edison, almost seems like fate!

    Reply
  42. Garrett

    I love science! Happy New year! Excited for the next video!

    Reply
  43. Valen

    I liked the part about Thomas Edison the most

    Reply
  44. Alexa

    Happy New Years to everyone! Science is amazing

    Reply
  45. Ruslan

    Edison and so many others made a big impact on todayโ€™s world, and r51 pls get well.

    Reply
  46. Kimber

    Science is neat

    Reply
  47. Natalie

    12/10/25 If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again! 12/17/25 Congrats Laurelei Fox on your book!

    Reply
  48. Miranda

    Awesome as usual! Hope everyone had a Happy New Years!

    Reply
  49. Elena

    It is cool to learn about how cell phones have changed, but also weird to think about the way they used to be!

    Reply
  50. Caitlyn

    Merry Christmas and happy new years to the amazing teachers and people that put together these science lives for us!

    Reply
  51. Addison

    It would be so fascinating to have a conversation with someone like Thomas Edison and other wonderful scientists in todayโ€™s world. I enjoyed this science live.

    Reply
  52. Priscilla

    I love Thomas Edison

    Reply
  53. Daniel

    I hope you have a good 2026

    Reply
  54. Nathan

    Wow, what a great Science Live! I’m so excited for the new ASL 2 course! Amazing to hear about the new NASA’s new telescope!

    Reply
  55. Alexis

    Happy new year! Science rocks!!

    Reply
  56. Natalie

    Thomas Edison is one of the coolest scientist that ever exists

    Reply
  57. John

    how is r51

    Reply
  58. Christopher

    these are always so intriguing!

    Reply
  59. Addison

    Thomas Edison was very smart and he contributed much to our world today. I love learning about him. Thank you for this live.

    Reply
  60. Genevieve

    Thomas Edison was one of the best scientists!

    Reply
  61. Gavin

    Thomas Edison also invented the phonograph- first record player!!

    Reply
  62. Caden

    What would we do without scientists?

    Reply
  63. Vitaly

    I’m so excited for the new ASL 2 course!

    Reply
  64. Hadley

    I love watching science live!!

    Reply
  65. Eliziah

    Happy New Year and thank you Dr. Billings It is such an honor to start the year off right with a nice science live, exploring such interesting topics like studying with Acellus Gold

    Reply
  66. Amelia

    So we’re just gonna gloss over the fact that r-51 created a literal TIME MACHINE?! HELLO?!

    Also, to whoever’s scrolling through these comments, you’re beautiful, and the world is a better place with you in it. And if you’re going through anything right now, remember that God loves you sooo much and wants to help you. Have a great day, beautiful humannn :3

    Reply
  67. Ryleigh

    i hope your new years was amazing!!! I love watching these i feel like i get smarter every time.

    Reply
  68. Gabriela

    this year went by so fast, Happy new year

    Reply
  69. Nicholas

    Happy 2026

    Reply
  70. Colin

    I enjoyed learning about old technology such as the development of the original iPhone.

    Reply
  71. Evelyn

    Where would we be without Thomas Edison?

    Reply
  72. Owen

    I wanted to say that I particularly enjoyed this Edison Science Live. Thanks!

    Reply
  73. Talia

    Thomas Edison is so cool! So inspired!!

    Reply
  74. Grace

    Happy New years to everyone.

    Reply
  75. Brynleigh

    I love science lives!! They are so fun

    Reply
  76. Abby

    I hope everyone had an amazing holidays and New year, this science live was awesome as usual!

    Reply
  77. Hailey

    I loved learning about how the Apple keyboard came to be!

    Reply
  78. Serissa

    If the Edison Effect wouldnโ€™t have happened, do you think this couldโ€™ve changed how we have lights, music, and techonolgy today? Thatโ€™s crazy to think about.

    Reply
  79. Grace

    I think people knew Thomas Edison was going to be something special, even as a small child.

    Reply
  80. Cameron

    Learning with Acellus is so fun.

    Reply
  81. Alex

    love how this episode showed the Edison Effect wasnt just a weird side note it actually shaped modern electronics. Fascination stuff!

    Reply
  82. Jessilyn

    I love science live! so inspiring!

    Reply
  83. Javarus

    I liked the part about Edison.

    Reply
  84. Sophia

    Happy new year everyone!! Watching from LV! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  85. Hailey

    Love Science Live. Happy New Year!

    Reply
  86. Darla

    Why did apple use so many phones when introducing the new and improved phone?

    Reply
  87. Caleb

    The explanation about Thomas Edison and the Edison effect was so cool!

    Reply
  88. Carter

    Happy New Year! Can’t wait to see all the new Science Lives in 2026!

    Reply
  89. Aluna

    SO AWESOME

    Reply
  90. Isabella

    Thomas Edison was one of my favorite Scientists!

    Reply
  91. Juleymie

    Thomas Edison is a great scientist and smart guy!

    Reply
  92. Emma

    Great video! Watching from New Jersey! I had no idea that Thomas Edison was not the first inventor of the light bulb!

    Reply
  93. Aaralyn

    Hello! First off, I’d like to begin by saying…, happy new year! I hope the Acellus Team had a wonderful break. I know that mine was lovely.
    Being back at school has been nice, however. Dr. John’s segment on the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope was a reminder to me that learning is such a crucial part of living, and that every day there’s something new to learn. So, I thank Science Live for representing what it means to grow and comprehend the vastness of life and what we’ve created here on Earth.

    Reply
  94. Stark

    The things that Edison invented are next level and I love it

    Reply
  95. Evelyn

    Wow! Very interesting episode!

    Reply
  96. Isaiah

    HAPPY NEW YEAR! Thanks for all the liveโ€™s this year, love the Thomas Edison stories!

    Reply
  97. Madison

    Thomas Edison was a very clever man, sometimes I wish I could think like him.

    Reply
  98. Kendall

    Thomas Edison was a incredible person and is very interesting to learn about. Thank you!!!

    Reply
  99. Layla

    I love that we get to learn about the science developments in the world here!!!

    Reply
  100. Oliver

    Science Live is awesome!

    Reply
  101. Najla

    Happy new year everyone. Hope everyone has a great year!๐Ÿค—๐Ÿ˜„

    Reply
  102. Billy

    l love learning about science.

    Reply
  103. Ren

    hey, you should make a vid on the progression of robots. that would be really cool.

    Reply
  104. Colin

    My favorite part of this Science Live was the history of the IPhone.

    Reply
  105. Alana

    I really liked learning about Thomas Edison.

    Reply
  106. Josiah

    When i grow up I want to be a scientist.
    Happy new year!!

    Reply
  107. Merissa

    ill be finishing my Acellus courses this week and i was wondering if i could still take the sign language course

    Reply
  108. Thomas

    happy new year and thatโ€™s actually kinda crazy that NASA is launching something in 2037

    Reply
  109. Ezekiel

    Happy New Year to all at Acellus!

    Reply
  110. Kaiden

    Thomas Edison is the best inventor ever.

    Reply
  111. Gunner

    Watching from Montana! Science is so interesting I love it.

    Reply
  112. Taylor

    That’s honestly really cool, I don’t usually look into these kinds of things. Thank you acellus for ya’lls hard work! and happy new year to all.

    Reply
  113. Camille

    Thomas Edison was a great scientist, happy new years to every scientist

    Reply
  114. Scott

    Watching from Idaho

    Reply
  115. Soraya

    Happy New Years!

    Reply
  116. Joshua

    Thomas Edison was so smart!

    Reply
  117. Savannah

    Cool!๐Ÿ˜Ž

    Reply
  118. Hannah

    I love these!

    Reply
  119. Anniston

    Favorite time of the week.

    Reply
  120. Jacob

    Hello, my name is Jacob. I especially liked the part about the invention of the first IPhone. Technology is truly interesting. Anyway, thank you for the knowledge.

    Reply
  121. Olivia

    Thomas Edison was an amazing inventor!! Happy new year!

    Reply
  122. Khaseda

    I Love Acellus so much

    Reply
  123. Daisy

    Happy New Year Acellus!

    Reply
  124. Daniel

    Goodbye 2025 welcome 2026!

    Reply
  125. Westin

    Edison’s inventions are a miracle!

    Reply
  126. Nekoa

    Happy new year๐ŸŽ‰

    Reply
  127. Elle

    It’s crazy to think about how much the first iPhone changed the game for phone technology. I’m sure most people already know how important the iPhone was, but it’s interesting that it came down to one team member who solve the keyboard problem before they could successfully go forward with the groundbreaking technology.

    Reply
  128. Shelley

    I would just like to say thank you to Dr. Billings and everything you’ve done with Acellus. I’ve learned so much and I really appreciate it. God Bless you Dr. Billings and everybody else apart of the Acellus family. ๐Ÿค—๐Ÿ’œโœ

    Reply
  129. Valeria

    Science live is the best!!!

    Reply
  130. Alexi

    I love science itโ€™s really fun to learn all the new things .

    Reply
  131. Mason

    WOW! I did not know that.

    Reply
  132. Audrey

    Thank you, for the science live!

    Reply
  133. Luke

    Happy New years everyone! and keep on sciencing

    Reply
  134. Eli

    Eli is very interested in the possibility of sending messages back in time. Who knows, it might be a college project in the future.

    Reply
  135. Diem

    This was an AMAZING class thank you!!

    Reply
  136. Ivy

    I love watching these! Always learning something new!

    Reply
  137. Cohen

    So glad to be back and I hope every one had a merry Christmas and happy new year

    Reply
  138. Elijah

    I always enjoy learning about Thomas Edison! Happy New Year everybody!

    Reply
  139. Jack

    I am very grateful for Thomas Edison.

    Reply
  140. Ben

    #GOATEDBILLINGS

    Reply
  141. Miles

    Who else loves Breakthrough Moments in Science?

    Reply
  142. Lacy

    NASA getting a new present like that is pretty cool, wonder if space is just full of stars and planets or if there’s also something out there.

    Reply
  143. Sophia

    Thanks for another good episode! I loved watching Science Live.

    Reply
  144. Lewis

    I LOVE SCIENCE

    Reply
  145. Annabelle

    Who made the very first lightbulb?

    Reply
  146. Aniyah

    Thomas Edison is very smart. He was a great scientist.

    Reply
  147. Nicholas

    This is truly inspiring! Happy New Years!

    Reply
  148. Mel

    I love how you make the science lives fun and interesting and new every week!

    Reply
  149. Nicholas

    Quite the interesting watch. I didn’t know that Dr. Billing’s mentor was mentored by Edison himself, so that’s pretty neat.

    Reply
  150. Brennan

    Thomas Edison was so smart it still shocks me to this day.

    Reply
  151. Isabella

    I would love to learn ASL!.๐Ÿ˜

    Reply
  152. Naomi

    Happy New Year to all Acellus workers and scientist!

    Reply
  153. Nolan

    I am going to be a scientist when i grow up.

    Reply
  154. Tahlea

    Science live is the best!!

    Reply
  155. Brandon

    NOTHING BETTER THAN STARTING MY DAY OFF WITH SCIENCE LIVE.

    Reply
  156. Anna

    Thomas Edison was a genius!! Thanks for this Science Live!

    Reply
  157. Olivia

    Happy new years everyone!!!!! <3

    Reply
  158. Rydge

    Why canโ€™t we get humans on mars yet?

    Reply
  159. Jocelyn

    Very COOL! Happy new year i hope you have the best new year!!!

    Reply
  160. Fiorella

    science rocks!

    Reply
  161. Alexandria

    I love how many thing we can learn about during science live!!! So amazing as always!

    Reply
  162. Drake

    It is quite interesting the difference between a new high resolution telescope and the previous telescopes we were using. The phones back then were more of tool compared to what they are today. Itโ€™s very interesting to see how we develop technology over the years.

    Reply
  163. Aria

    Poor R 51โ€ฆ..

    Reply
  164. Alonnah

    Happy new years everyone i hope ya’ll have a scientific year!

    Reply
  165. Alannis

    Happy New Year from Virginia, USA! I love Pajet Monet.^^

    Reply
  166. Fiorella

    science is cool, being smart is the new fashion! Edison is an inspiration

    Reply
  167. Joel

    Happy New Year from NC!!

    Reply
  168. Bailey

    Loved learning about the Edison Effect.

    Reply
  169. Diego

    It’s interesting how much of an impact the Edison effect has made on what we know today

    Reply
  170. Marley

    ๐”€๐“ธ๐”€ ๐“ผ๐“ธ ๐“ฝ๐“ฑ๐“ช๐“ฝ’๐“ผ ๐“ฑ๐“ธ๐”€ ๐“ถ๐”‚ ๐“ด๐“ฎ๐”‚๐“ซ๐“ธ๐“ช๐“ป๐“ญ ๐”€๐“ช๐“ผ ๐“ฒ๐“ท๐“ฝ๐“ฟ๐“ฎ๐“ท๐“ฝ๐“ฎ๐“ญ . ๐“๐“ท๐“ญ ๐“ฏ๐“พ๐“ท๐“ท๐”‚ ๐“ฌ๐“ฑ๐“ฎ๐“ถ๐“ฒ๐“ผ๐“ฝ๐“ป๐”‚ ๐“ณ๐“ธ๐“ด๐“ฎ!

    Reply
  171. Nathaniel

    Happy New year’s to everyone!!!!!!โค๏ธ๐Ÿ˜„

    Reply
  172. Brodee

    I want to invent something that will change the world forever!

    Reply
  173. Matthew

    Happy New year R51

    Reply
  174. Brighton

    Thanks for making me like science

    Reply
  175. Olivia

    I liked to hear that there will be ASL, but how do you get it as a class

    Reply

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