He has 1093 patents registered in his name - and he almost never went to bed, preferring cat naps to a good night's sleep. Thomas Alva Edison was a one-man invention convention whose ideas and creations revolutionized the world. His "Invention Factory" provided an environment in which young inventors could tinker and test ideas. He had a strong work ethic that would let neither successes nor failures slow him down. He also was a family man and knew how to have fun with his "Vagabond" friends.