Famous Nappers 1
Thomas Alva Edison: the man, the myth, the legend
I figured now is as good a time as any to talk about one of the first napping heroes to inspire us: Thomas Alva Edison. 1093 patented inventions, most notably including the light bulb. The godfather of industry, according to some. The godfather of electricity according to others, who I believe are wrong (Edison’s patents had more to do with filaments than electricity — Nikola Tesla patented the electric transmission of power in 1888 and demonstrated alternating current electricity in 1893). But the godfather of indoor lighting? I buy that.
But he was just a man who put on his pants one leg at a time. How did he pull off 1093 inventions? Well, as many know, Edison was a renowned (notorious? sardonically irreverent?) napper.
Edison reportedly found sleep to be a waste of time — perhaps this is not ironic, as I believe that rightly or wrongly, the invention of indoor lighting has had the most significantly negative impact on human sleep patterns since human beings have existed and benefited from sleep.
Regardless, I believe that to varying degrees, all people need sleep, independently of where/when/how they get it (though I also believe that all sleep, including naps, is not created equal — more to come there). I also believe that Edison’s actions suggest that he would agree, given the reports of his routine naps across his property.
So raise a glass to TAE, the namesake of our Signal group chat and a major inspiration for this Substack!