How Would Thomas A. Edison Rank as a Great Scientist?

Edison was not a scientist, he was an inventor. Big difference. Edison did not, for instance, formulate theories of why light worked, all he did was try 10,000 different materials until he found one that worked.

He did virtually no real science, he tinkered and he developed working machinery. He did not study phenomena and try to explain them in scientific terms. His only scientific discovery, known as the Edison effect, was by pure chance.

Edison himself did not consider himself a scientist, and considering his ego, that's saying something.

Scientists are judged by numbers of articles published in high impact (prestigious) journals mostly. Edison would have lagged on that. Education, weak. Class identity, was important at that time, so for him that would have been a barrier to respect as a scientist. Other things include prestigious awards, Edison got those. Patents, a huge number for Edison. Breakthroughs and firsts, Edison got those. Grants, Edison got investors instead, and used his own money, so he was strong on those. Edison was not technically a scientist as such, but he was very strong in many areas that scientists also get rated. Had his inventions not found practical commercial application, he still would be well remembered as an inventor and his industrial research provided the technology for scientists to be able to perform further experiments.

His impact on the world was huge (though he didn't actually invent the electric light as Joseph Swan did that a year before Edison). That said he did not add to scientific understanding of the world nor did he seek to explain anything scientifically (he was a creative genius not an egg head) so no he was not a scientist.

great , I think where would we be without the electric lights , he had over 1000 patents in his name, And also he is from the great state of Ohio, my home state