A cover from the series "When they were young" in which the reader was asked to identify a famous historical person portrayed in their youth. This inquisitive boy is the famous American inventor, Thomas Alva Edison. Born in 1847 he was largely self-educated, setting up a laboratory in the cellar of his parents' home while still a young lad. He is best remembered for that most pleasure-giving of inventions, the phonograph (1877). Original artwork.