Thomas Alva Edison was born in Milan, Ohio on February 11, 1847.

Edison had many patents to his name.

As the inventor of the phonograph and the light bulb, he has earned a place in robot history.

Specifically - he created a famous talking doll, Eve, which had a phonograph embedded in it.

By <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Mabalu" title="User:Mabalu">Mabalu</a> - <span class="int-own-work" lang="en">Own work</span>, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

AnonymousUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

He believed a great deal in industrialisation and mechanisation.

Among his inventions, significant to robotics, was the Motion Picture Camera.