The correct answer is New Jersey. In 1876, Thomas Edison established his pioneering industrial research laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey, which became one of the most famous innovation centers in history. It was here that Edison and his team of skilled assistants worked tirelessly on a wide range of inventions that would change the modern world. Menlo Park is often referred to as the birthplace of the modern research laboratory, and it set the model for how scientific and industrial research would be organized in the decades that followed.
Edison chose Menlo Park because it offered both quiet and accessibility to New York City, where many of his business interests were located. The lab complex included machine shops, chemistry labs, and a library filled with scientific works from around the world. Edison's work there spanned many projects, including the phonograph, the carbon transmitter that improved telephone sound quality, and, most famously, the incandescent light bulb. While he did not invent the first light bulb, Edison's crucial innovation was creating a practical, long-lasting, and commercially viable version. After thousands of experiments with different materials, his team found that a carbonized bamboo filament could burn for over a thousand hours. This breakthrough, achieved in 1879, made electric lighting suitable for homes and businesses, replacing gas lamps and candles.
The Menlo Park laboratory became the first facility where invention was treated as a systematic process—an organized effort involving a team rather than a lone inventor. It symbolized a shift in American innovation, showing that progress could come from collaboration and experimentation. Edison's success at Menlo Park earned him the nickname "The Wizard of Menlo Park."
