This week on Energy.gov, we’re revisiting the storied rivalry between two of history’s most important energy-related inventors and engineers: Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla. Check back each day to learn more about their lives, their inventions and how their contributions are still impacting the way we use energy today. Support your favorite with the hashtags #teamedison and #teamtesla on social media, or cast your vote on our website. And be sure to submit questions about the inventors for our live Google+ Hangout with Tesla and Edison experts, happening Thursday, Nov. 21, at 12:30 p.m. ET.

8. At age 16, after early forays in the newspaper business, Thomas Edison began working as a telegraph operator. The experience taught him a great deal about practical electricity -- from circuit wiring to batteries to electromagnetism -- and spurred his first serious efforts at invention.

7. In 1876, Edison set up his famous “Invention Factory,” a laboratory complex in Menlo Park, New Jersey. Edison and the Menlo Park gang -- an expansive staff of scientists and engineers -- pioneered improvements to a variety of inventions, including the incandescent light bulb.