In December 1914 fire swept Thomas Edison’s works in West Orange, New Jersey. Thirteen buildings burned. More than half the site was lost.
Edison was 67. “Although I am over 67 years old, I’ll start all over again tomorrow,” he told a reporter. His son Charles remembered him saying, “It’s all right. We’ve just got rid of a lot of rubbish.”
Rebuilding began the next morning. Edison kept his employees on the payroll.