When we think of great historical figures, we usually remember their achievements, the successes that changed humanity. But we should also think of failure. Some of the most well-recognized inventors and innovators failed many times before they succeeded. Here’s some of history’s greatest failures, all of whom ultimately enjoyed amazing success:
Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison had a unique characteristic about his failures: He failed more than anyone on this list. Edison attempted more than 9,000 experiments before he successfully created the light bulb. He was told many times by his colleagues to give up, but he persevered, and succeeded.
Greatest Success:
Inventor of the light bulb and held 1,093 US patents.
Henry Ford
Henry Ford, pioneer of the automobile industry, actually failed twice before creating the eventually iconic Ford Motor Company. Even after going bankrupt twice, investors still funded him and believed he could run a successful automobile company.
Greatest Success:
Creating the Model T, which became the first automobile produced on an assembly line and ushered in a new era of transportation.
Walt Disney
It’s hard to believe, but Disney was fired from his newspaper job for a lack of good ideas. His list of failures doesn’t end there. He started his own animation company and immediately went bankrupt. He had to eat dog food before he could finally get on his feet. Even after creating Disney, he still was ridiculed before winning over the hearts of millions with Mickey Mouse.
Greatest Success:
Created Disney, which produced such iconic characters as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. Also created the Disneyland and Disney World theme parks.
Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln is known as one of the greatest US Presidents of all time, yet the Great Emancipator failed to win an election seven times. He failed more than once for each, but eventually succeeded in getting elected to the Legislature, Senate, and then Presidency.
Greatest Success:
Preserving the Union during the Civil War and emancipating the slaves in the US.
