To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.

At the time of his death in 1931, Thomas Edison held (or shared ownership of) 1,093 patents. He lived his life tinkering, inventing out of necessity to solve problems he perceived in the world around him, and often dropping everything to start a new project when an opportunity presented itself. He’s famous for his positive outlook on life — never asking if something could be done, but instead jumping directly to the question of how.