On a related note, an Englishman — not Edison — was the first person to create a light bulb.
Humphry Davy invented the first electric arc lamp in 1809 after realizing that a chemical reaction was a prerequisite for the production of electricity. Davy's device was made from two wires connected to a battery. He attached charcoal strips to the wires and noticed that the charged carbon emitted a glow.
Decades later, in the 1870s, Thomas Edison succeeded in creating the first commercial light bulb.