Thomas Alva Edison was widely known as the America's most prolific inventor, even after his death in 1931.[1][2] He held a total of 1,093 U.S. patents (1,084 utility patents and 9 design patents).[3] In 2003, he was passed by Japanese inventor Shunpei Yamazaki.[4] On February 26, 2008, Yamazaki was passed by Australian inventor Kia Silverbrook.[5] Yamazaki passed Silverbrook in 2017.