Thomas Edison and Pop Culture | Thomas Edison Muckers: Your Blog for Everything Edison, Everyday

Numerous schools, and community colleges are named after him
His inspirational life is embodied in countless books and biographies
In the TV series “Bones” – in the Season 5 episode “The Devil in the Details” – one of the psychiatric patients from the sanitarium believes himself to be Thomas Edison
In the popular video game Assassin’s Creed II, Thomas Edison was referenced in a quest line
Thomas Edison has appeared in popular culture as a character in novels, films, comics and video games
Because Edison had trouble in school, his mother Nancy home-schools the young lad, making Edison a role model for home-schooled kids today
Edison, NJ is named after him for his Menlo Park labs located there in the 1870s-80s. In his early years he was known the “Wizard of Menlo Park”
The United States Navy named the USS Edison (DD-439), a Gleaves class destroyer, in his honor in 1940. The ship was decommissioned a few months after the end of World War II. In 1962, the Navy commissioned the USS Thomas A. Edison (SSBN-610), a fleet ballistic missile nuclear-powered submarine; later decommissioned in 1986.
In 2000, Edison is shown on an Irish postage stamp.
In 1947 he appears on a U.S. postage stamp. The 100th anniversary of his birth. Coincidentally, this is the death year of his beloved wife Mina.
In the weeks surrounding his birthday, many US engineering societies often host national engineer’s week celebrations.
On February 11, 2011, on Thomas Edison’s 164th birthday, Google’s homepage featured an animated
Google created a Google Doodle commemorating his many inventions.
In 1983, the United States Congress, pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 140 (Public Law 97—198), designated February 11, Edison’s birthday, as National Inventor’s Day
In space, his name is commemorated in asteroid 742 Edisona
In 2008, Edison was inducted in the New Jersey Hall of Fame
In 1989, Edison is inducted into the New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame
Life Magazine in 1997 named Edison Man of the Millennium
In 2010 Edison appeared on the cover of TIME magazine’s special issue about the man and his enduring relevance to our world
Edison was given one of the first honorary Academy Awards in 1929 [at the Academy’s first dinner] for his work in founding the motion picture industry.
In 2010, Edison was honored with a Technical Grammy Award
In 2011, Edison was inducted into the Entrepreneur Walk of Fame
Many electric utility companies in the U.S. incorporate his name [Edison] into their corporate name.
The Edison Electric Institute, the trade organization of the electric utility industry is named in his honor.
Featured character in a movie “Young Tom Edison” – 1940 [starring Mickey Rooney]
Featured character in a movie “Edison the Man” – 1940 [starring Spencer Tracy]
A variety of awards are named in his honor and given by scientific and engineering organizations.
The song “Edison” by the Bee Gees from their 1969 album Odessa is a reference about Thomas Edison.
Czech poet Vítězslav Nezval wrote a lengthy epic poem titled Edison (1930), in which Edison is celebrated as the symbol of courage in search of meaning of life in modern civilization
“The Electric Sunshine Man” is a musical for young voices about the life, times, and inventions of Thomas Edison; generally performed by youth choral groups in schools
“Edison’s Medicine” was a song by the band Tesla from the album Psychotic Supper Tesla which features the War of Currents between Edison’s DC and Tesla’s AC