The Edison effect
In this very accessible text, the author looks at the Edison Effect, or the stream of "free electrons" that occurs when you connect a straight wire into the vacuum of an incandescent lightbulb. The discovery was so far ahead of Edison's electrical engineer peers that it spawned entirely new fields of science. Of course, the phenomenon had initially been witnessed in 1873 by Frederick Guthrie, but with the limited understanding of the generated particles the discovery was not met with as much enthusiasm. When Edison rediscovered this, it became the basis for the diode and radio telegraphy, both of which would have profound effects for years to come
eBook, English, [1951]
Thomas Alva Edison Foundation, West Orange, N.J., [1951]