Thomas Edison's last breath was saved in a test tube
The "last breath" of the inventor Thomas Edison can be seen on display
in the Henry Ford Museum. According to legend, Thomas Edison's son,
Charles, approached his father on his death be...d and placed a test
tube over his father's mouth as he breathed his last breath. He then
sealed the test tube with a cork and sent it to Henry Ford, a good fri...end of his father. Ford kept the test tube, believing it to contain his friend's soul..
If this seems too good to be true, that's because it is. However, it was years before anyone found out what the mysterious test tube actually was..
-- Here's the real story --
Henry Ford kept some of Thomas Edison's personal items after his death, including his hat, his shoes, and a sealed test tube. After Henry Ford died, the Henry Ford museum put Ford's possessions on display, including the mementos from Thomas Edison..
In 1978, Thomas Edison's personal effects were discovered, along with a cardboard mailing tube containing a sealed test tube and a note that stated"This is the test tube you requested from my father's bedroom." The test tube was then put on display in the Henry Ford Museum with a label suggesting that it may be the dying breath of Thomas Edison..
It wasn't until the late 1980s that we were able to find out the truth. The museum got a hold of a letter that Charles Edison had written to a radio commentator, explaining the origin of the test tube. It turns out that, in addition to being an inventor, Thomas Edison was also a fan of chemistry. He used to keep 8 empty test tubes by his bed, even when he was dying! His son, Charles, asked the doctor to seal the test tubes after he died, and he then gave one to Henry Ford, to remember him by..
Neither Charles Edison nor Henry Ford ever referred to the test tube as containing Thomas Edison's last breath. Still, this legend was so fascinating thateven "The Straight Dope" (a column that is otherwise a very reliable source for OMG Facts) got it wrong..
If this seems too good to be true, that's because it is. However, it was years before anyone found out what the mysterious test tube actually was..
-- Here's the real story --
Henry Ford kept some of Thomas Edison's personal items after his death, including his hat, his shoes, and a sealed test tube. After Henry Ford died, the Henry Ford museum put Ford's possessions on display, including the mementos from Thomas Edison..
In 1978, Thomas Edison's personal effects were discovered, along with a cardboard mailing tube containing a sealed test tube and a note that stated"This is the test tube you requested from my father's bedroom." The test tube was then put on display in the Henry Ford Museum with a label suggesting that it may be the dying breath of Thomas Edison..
It wasn't until the late 1980s that we were able to find out the truth. The museum got a hold of a letter that Charles Edison had written to a radio commentator, explaining the origin of the test tube. It turns out that, in addition to being an inventor, Thomas Edison was also a fan of chemistry. He used to keep 8 empty test tubes by his bed, even when he was dying! His son, Charles, asked the doctor to seal the test tubes after he died, and he then gave one to Henry Ford, to remember him by..
Neither Charles Edison nor Henry Ford ever referred to the test tube as containing Thomas Edison's last breath. Still, this legend was so fascinating thateven "The Straight Dope" (a column that is otherwise a very reliable source for OMG Facts) got it wrong..
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