How a Fishing Trip Helped Edison Invent the Lightbulb
At the heart of the story is a fishing trip that changed history. While most people think Edison simply worked tirelessly in his laboratory, the truth is far more interesting. A day spent fishing gave Edison the key insight he needed to find the perfect filament — the tiny thread inside the bulb that makes it actually work. It’s the kind of story that reminds us that great inventors keep their eyes open everywhere, not just in the lab.
But this episode has a second story that students love even more. Edison and his son had a fishing contest — and what happened during that contest reveals the kind of man Edison really was. Warm, competitive, curious, and endlessly creative even when he wasn’t working.

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Here from CA
these are so interesting
I liked the little robot rubix cube that solves itself without someone holding it
Hello from Minnesota.
Thanks for the good video again this week
Hello from Arlington TN!!
i loved this video!
I fished once when I was younger, this brought back the memory!
Very interesting! this was a fun video looking forward to see the next live!
This weeks science live was awesome
Well look at that! I learned something new today! Thank you for all the cool info, I loved learning about Thomas Edison
Hello from new york
this science live is one of my favorites
Hii from Illinois
Wow, what an interesting video, thank you for teaching us about Thomas Edison and his invention.
Very exiting and interesting.
Great lesson this week!
I love fishing!
I loved this live
Fishing is so relaxing 😌
Fishing is my favorite, it’s so weird to think how little things can become such big things.
This episode was really good!
I didn’t know about this episode…. until now.
So edison made the best bulb
Hello from Georgia
Sorry that it took me so long to notice this, but anyways I should probably get to the point. I find it so interesting how a fishing trip did overall end up being the one of the main reasons Edison made the lightbulb and that without it maybe he never would have thought of it at all.
hey from nc
Hi from Ohio
It’s interesting that a hobby so small can turn into something much bigger. Edison’s invention is inspiring.
This was a very interesting episode!
This was a cool episode.
Hii from Texas!
I love learning with science live every week!
i love science lives so much!
Fishing is a great way to clear your mind and improve your mental health too. I’m sure Thomas Edison was able to be alone with his thought to come up with these things.
I really like learning new things about Thomas Edison!
I really love this video.
Hello from Virginia
glad to be here love yall
So cool to learn more about Thomas Edison.
hi from texas
this is so cool!
this is really interesting
I love this!
The fishing trip gave a fresh perspective and i love fishing as well!
That’s crazy how Edison had his ” Technique” of fishing.
I wonder how this will relate to a Fishing Trip?
I am grateful for Thomas Edison
The cube does actually resemble a Rubik’s Cube!
What a great history lesson
How old is Roger Billings?
This was so cool!
Hi watching from Florida!!!
I love when science and history get combined into fascinating backstories.
I love science lives! Hi from South Dakota!
I can’t wait to go to kansas so I can graduate!
I love watching these videos!
I look forward to each week and watching and learning new things
I really liked this video and I love fishing
I love every Wednesday that I get to watch these videos.
Love this episode
!
Love fishing 🎣 so much .I never catch anything
I love fishing! Really shows how small things can be turned into something bigger.
these weekly lives are very intresting hello from florida!!
I really liked this video!
this was exciting
hello from alabama
Awesome episode!
I’ve been to Branson Missouri! What a funny story, Dr. Billings is great at storytelling, as well as teaching and inventing!
love these!
Fishing is fun.
How interesting that science is connected to fishing.
Where is R-51?! WE WANT HIM PLEASEEEEE!!!!!!
Glad I can finally be here to watch this!
I love the science live every week.
Hello from Florida! I also love your videos
I never knew it was this that helped with the invention of the lightbulb.
So cool! I loved this video.
I love fishing so watching this was great!
These lessons are great thanks, David from connecticut
Awsome video!
With what other types of material can you develop a lightbulb?
I really enjoy tuning in to these weekly lives and learning new things! Thank you! Ahriana from Kansas
Awesome video!
Dr.Billings is awesome and has some funny stories!
I find it inspiring to know that Thomas Edison experimented with those many ways, makes me want to do the same now!
I quite liked this one 🙂
The fishing trip gave him a fresh perspective and a chance to think outside the lab, which is awesome because anyone can do what he did and get a open mind on things
I love this episode and all it said about fishing
I can not wait to be able to make a historical change. Thanks for the knowledge weekly xoxo:)
Great episode!
I love fishing!
I really like fishing. It’s cool to know how science and fishing can be tied together.
I love that fishing with no bait. People AND fish won’t bother me!
Can’t wait to go fishing!
I didn’t realize how important bamboo was for lighting! I also thought the rubix cube that solves itself was cool!!
This was a really enjoyable video!
This was a great science live!
Great video, I enjoy learning something new every time.
Who knew?! so interesting learning all these facts
I really like Dr. Billings and what he is doing!
Fishing can really do miraculous things!
I never knew he tested so many things.
Thank you for my scholarship program! Yall keep me going everyday!! Loveddd the lightbulb and the inventions. I really wanna make a difference like that
I can’t wait to do experiments!!
i always watching these
I always learn something new from science live every week!
Fascinating story!
Thank you for teaching us about Edison! I didn’t know that he tested that amount of materials.
I think I would’ve liked to go fishing with Thomas Edison. Just imagine what you could learn from him.
Can we have more fishing stories from Pajet Monet? 🙂
great vid
I love how much determination all of these inventors bring. This really shows how whenever you put your mind to anything, nothing is impossible. Fishing is just one example of how inventors lead to much better things, Including the Hydrogen car.
THATS SO COOL!
I love Eddisions quote thats so interesting and how he interpret it is so cool to me , I also find that how he was apply to apply fishing to hs work is amazing. 🙂
Thank you for my scholarship program!!!!!!!!
Science and invention always seem to have a beginning in the oddest ways.
This was something I didn’t expect! Thanks for the knowledge!
Wow! i never knew he tested so many things that’s so interesting.
Thank you for my scholarship program!!!
I liked the walking robot so cool to learn!!!!!!
It is amazing how Edison was lucky on his trip!!!! Thank you for my scholarship program!!!
AWESOME!!!
I really liked this one!
that cube looks really fun lol, i need it
Great episode Thanks!
This is so cool I mean who would have thought FISHING helped invent the light bulb
Learning about the lightbulb is so amazing! So helpful nowadays, I can’t imagine life without it.
Loved this video! Thank you so much.
Wow lightbulbs are so cool
I’m going fishing today!!!
I love to fish too! thanks for the live videos.
Love, love, LOVE science live!
this is so fun and great to watch
I’m in sixth grade and doing 8th grade science and 7th grade social studies and 7th grade language arts
Aight bet good for you bro.
I like the approach that yes Edison invented the light bulb… but it was his ability to make it into something practical that really led to human progress. How do you think others contributed to Edison”s invention prior to his light bulb? Science is discovered on a continuum right?
Interesting episode!
Science live is so cool
Science live is awesome
Thank you so much! I have learned so much with these science live videos and I hope to keep learning more!
Wow this was very interesting, I love these videos so much!
These lives are always so interesting!!
That is cool
How interesting a light bulb discovery, that changed everything was made all by going fishing and just by using bamboo all thanks to Thomas Edison.
Always great info!
Science live is so cool
I LOVE SCIENCE LIVE
It’s amazing how Edison was lucky in this trip.
I liked the walking robot!!
science really does come from unexpected places
these videos make my day!!
Wow this was very interesting
Thankyou very much!
testing out 6000 different materials is insane, but atleast it worked out in the end.
Very interesting!
Loved this science live!
I love these you guys make them so fun to watch every time! I cant wait for the next one.
This story showed that inventors stay curious all the time. Edison paid attention to everything, even on a fishing trip, and that helped him make the lightbulb work.
I learned that Thomas Edison got his big idea for the lightbulb while he was fishing. It showed me that you can get smart ideas anywhere, even when you’re having fun.
Sciencelife is so amazing because it’s teach me about science and many cool facts and things too!
Can you please make a video of butterflys
The cube kinda reminded me of the rubiks cube
Don’t know if I’ve already commented on this one sorry if I already have
I love this episode
Hi from Mississippi!!
This science live was very interesting!
WOW!!
whos the original inventor(s) of acellus program
This was amazing! So interesting!
really good video loved that keep it up love it.
I want one of those cubes
great video I loved how fishing invent the light bulb.
awesome video!
This was an interesting episode.
This was so interesting! I loved it!
So excited for the new classes
Very interesting story about Thomas Edison!! Thanks for sharing Dr. Billings!! It would be nice if we could all be this lucky on a fishing trip!!
WOW!
SCIENCE IS AMAZING AND I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!
Science is so so much fun
Amazing Video!! I have a theory Lady Pajet is related to the electronic rubrix cube and it owed her a favor!!
I’m the first comment:)
I wish I was the first comment but I have gymnastics 6 hours a day
OMG i agree really hard with that, for me its just that i have no clue when science live starts up now, its been turning on not at 8:00 PM EST, and so now i have no clue when it starts, now i have to double check in the morning whether it turns on or not, and i also couldn’t comment at like lunch time even if it did start at normal time since i have lunch and chores lol
Why, ya’ll so competitive on who is the first comment, relax your not even first bro. LOL! 🤣🤣🤣
agree, but he was in second place ngl so good job still
Oh and i should mention they were only 4 minutes off, so they might have had to load the comments in order to see if anyone else already commented
P.S. its just a funny thing to do to be the first one to comment, thats really it as far as i can tell lol maybe next science live ill try to be the first to comment heh
Im the first Comment!!!!
dang u must have gotten up at like 1 in the morning est dang (est = eastern time) gooda cheese job