"America's greatest inventor" kind of bogarted the film industry. Name that patent-fiend and inventor of the incandescent lightbulb.

You may have thought Hollywood landed in L.A. due to the pleasant climate. But it was actually Thomas Edison that forced the early film industry there to avoid his lawsuits. You see, Edison loved patenting his inventions, and he persuaded other film industry bigwigs to join forces and hold a monopoly over the film industry. He'd sue anyone who tried to create films or use his film-making inventions. Hence, the move to Hollywood, where filmmakers could ride out Edison's lawsuits based on distance (the commercial airplane hadn't quite taken off yet).

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