Electricity: The "Spark" That Ignited
Industry
Though made widespread and commercially accessible by Thomas Edison in the 1870's and 1880's, electrical power and energy had been known for quite some time prior to this. From simple experiments such as Benjamin Franklin's famed kite & key experiment to Michael Faraday's revolutionary discovery of Electromagnetic Induction and the way electrical currents work, Thomas Edison was by no the means the first to look into this topic. That being said, Thomas Edison worked wonders with this knowledge and took electricity to unprecedented heights. Edison invented the electric lightbulb in 1879, and the electric power station in 1882, making great strides in the field of electrical engineering. The latter of the two inventions brought electrical power to New York City, kickstarting the age of electric power. After these discoveries, electricity began to spread across the nation.
By the end of that decade there wear similar stations in various large cities across the country, and by 1900 there were over 25 million lightbulbs distributed in the US. Electricity began to be used for everything from washing machines to street cars. Most importantly though, it began to be used in our nation's factories. After electricity became popular, many factories switched to electrical power from steam and water power. The new source of energy made powering machines easier and more efficient, in fact, modern factories still rely on it as their primary power source.
By the end of that decade there wear similar stations in various large cities across the country, and by 1900 there were over 25 million lightbulbs distributed in the US. Electricity began to be used for everything from washing machines to street cars. Most importantly though, it began to be used in our nation's factories. After electricity became popular, many factories switched to electrical power from steam and water power. The new source of energy made powering machines easier and more efficient, in fact, modern factories still rely on it as their primary power source.