We all have read and heard that ‘electric bulb’, ‘motion picture camera’ and ‘electric utility system’ were invented. Thomas Edison was as great a scientist as he was a madman. His great friend and admirer Henry Ford, who encouraged him to do such strange things, had gone one step ahead of him. Even today that special test tube is kept completely sealed. When seen from outside it looks completely empty and ordinary, but inside it the last breath of Thomas Edison has been captured. Now the question arises that why was this done? There is a very strange, interesting and a little scary story hidden behind it. If Thomas Edison was the main character of this incident, his closest friend Henry Ford was the other main character of the story. Both were great, but both were also a little crazy.

Why did Ford ask to do this?

The year 1931 Thomas Edison was on his death bed. He was quite old and his body had become very weak. At the same time, his best friend Henry Ford made a very strange and unique request to Edison’s son Charles Edison. Ford believed that an intelligent and genius person like Edison could never die completely. His soul or his real ‘intellect’ and consciousness would reside only in his last breath. So Ford told Charles, ‘When your father breathes his last, you place a clear glass test tube very close to his mouth. As soon as the breath comes out, immediately close that tube and seal it. Out of respect for his father and following his friend’s request, Charles did just that. As soon as Edison took his last breath, he was captured in that glass tube.

Why did Ford keep the test tube?

Henry Ford used to keep that test tube like a very precious diamond or gold treasure. He believed that in the future science would advance so much that even a dead person could be brought back to life. At that time, if scientists can bring someone back to life, then Edison’s captured ‘last breath’ will be very useful. Ford thought that Edison’s entire consciousness and intelligence remained in that breath. He always kept this test tube with him. This clearly shows how great both friends were, but at the same time how eccentric and strange they were.

The truth came out after decades

For many decades people continued to consider this incident as just a rumor or a joke. But when Henry Ford died, all his belongings were examined. That sealed test tube was also found in it. Today that test tube is kept in the Henry Ford Museum located in the state of Michigan, America. Even today people go to the museum and look at it with surprise. From the outside it looks completely empty, but inside it is Edison’s last breath. It is clearly written in the official records of the museum that Edison’s son Charles had kept eight test tubes open in his father’s room. When Edison’s last breath came out, everyone was immediately sealed. One of those tubes was given to Henry Ford. Both the friends were very close. Edison and Ford often spent time together and respected each other’s ideas.

This was confirmed in books also

This story is not just a rumour. Many famous authors have written about it in detail in their books. Matthew Josephson’s book ‘Edison: A Biography’ mentions the eccentric relationship between Edison and Ford and the entire test tube incident. James Newton’s book ‘Uncommon Friends’ mentions the three friendships of Edison, Ford and Harvey Firestone. In this also the incident of ‘last breath’ has been completely confirmed. It is also written in these books that Ford believed that the soul goes with the air in physical form while leaving the body.

Electricity for the entire city has been generated

Another interesting thing at the time of Edison’s death: When Edison died, a suggestion came to pay tribute to him throughout America. It was said that electricity in the entire country should be switched off for one minute. But the government soon realized that if electricity to the entire country was switched off even for a minute, the entire electricity system would be disrupted and there would be a huge uproar. So ultimately only the lights of the White House and some special places were turned off for a while.

Edison was also a selfish businessman

Edison certainly gave the gift of light to the world, but he was also a very selfish businessman. His employees were exploited a lot. Its roots were in his childhood itself.

What was his childhood like?

Edison’s childhood was not at all like that of an ordinary child. He went to school for only three months and his teacher expelled him from the school, calling him ‘confused and unfit to study’. Then his mother taught him at home. This incident filled his mind with a deep hatred towards formal education and educated people, which remained with him throughout his life. Due to an illness or minor accident in his childhood, he almost lost his hearing power. But Edison made this weakness his strength. He used to say, ‘It is good to be deaf, because it prevents noise from the outside world. I can concentrate completely on my work only. Because of this, he became a little socially isolated and of a cold nature.

hard work from a young age

At a very young age, Edison started selling newspapers and toffees in the train. He made his own small laboratory in an empty train compartment. Once there was a fire caused by phosphorus. The train guard became very angry, slapped him hard and threw the entire lab out of the train. This incident made him very tough and to fight the world alone. While selling newspapers on the train, he also started publishing his own small news magazine. Since childhood, he used to think like a businessman, ‘It is useless to make something that will not be sold.’ Psychologists say that Edison’s childhood was full of loneliness and constant struggle. He did not get any sympathy from the society, so as he grew up, he showed less sympathy towards others. A child who is rejected in school often grows up to go to any extent to prove that he is better than everyone else. This ‘hunger for excellence’ became the major reason for his selfish behaviour. In this way, this strange story of friendship between Edison and Ford is one of the strangest examples of science, history and human nature. Even today, that test tube kept in the museum surprises people and forces them to think how even great people can have unique ideas.