Menlo Park: The World's First R&D Lab

Thomas Edison's Menlo Park
Bettmann / Corbis

Think Tank
The laboratory's open floor plan, seen here in an illustration originally published in 1880, allowed for easy communication between Edison and his associates. The layout created an informal environment that Edison felt would foster creativity. He had no rules for work and no time clock, but the team worked long hours, enjoyed one another's company and produced substantial results.

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