How Electricity Got It's Start in America
Some of the earliest documented experiments with electricity show that they were done by Benjamin Franklin. He worked extensively and sold many of his possessions to finance his experiments. He realized that lightening was a natural source of electricity when he conducted the well known experiment that included a kite being flown during a thunderstorm. The kite was flown with a key attached to the end of the wet string, which attracted the lightening.
Alessandro Volta, an inventor from Italy, invented the electric cell in 1800. His invention made the study of electricity and its many applications easier for scientists everywhere. It was discovered that electric cells could be connected to each other to create a battery.
Nearly everyone knows that Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. He was intrigued with different methods for transmitting sound since he was a teacher of deaf students. He began experimenting, using electricity with the experiment which lead to his success with the telephone.
Thomas Doolittle, a mill worker from Connecticut created the method that was used to create the first hand drawn copper wire that strong enough to use as a telegraph wire. A man by the name of Michael Faraday discovered that electricity was created when a magnet was passed through ordinary copper wire. This is the application that is used in America’s power plant to generate electricity that is delivered to customers across the country. Both the electric generator and are built on this principle. A generator takes mechanical energy and converts it to electricity. On the other hand, motors convert electrical energy to mechanical energy.
While Thomas Edison experimented with electricity he was able to invent the electrical light bulb in addition to many other gadgets. His biggest challenge when creating the light bulb was to find the right material to use for the filament. He settled on carbon soaked cotton thread. The carbon was used to prevent the cotton thread from burning.
The thread glowed as the electricity traveled through it. As soon as the popularity of the light bulb caught on he turned his attention to the development of power plants that would be run the light bulbs. The first power plant that he built began operating in 1882 and served 85 New York city customers.
A major turning point occurred in 1895. The power plant that was built by Edison was only capable of transporting power a short distance since it used direct current of DC. The power was transmitted approximately just one square mile surrounding the power plant. With the development of alternating current or AC in 1895 the plant was able to transport power over 200 miles from the newly built power plant in Niagara Falls.
Electricity was slow to take root in America. While many people were excited about all the new inventions, some were afraid of the new electrical current and thought it would be dangerous to put into their houses. Others could not afford the service. Electricity was criticized as causing the end of a simpler way of life. Electric lights were accused of being “less romantic than gas light.”
Many expos and fairs often featured exhibits that displayed the recent inventions that used electricity as their power source. The 1893 Columbian Exposition that was held in Chicago displayed 5,000 arc lights and 90,000 incandescent lamps. People that visited the expo had the opportunity to view or ride the different electrified exhibits which included three cranes, several water fountains, a moving sidewalk, elevators and a street car system that was created by General Electric.
In 1901, the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, NY had electricity as its theme. It featured a 400 foot tall Electric Tower that utilized 40,000 lights and the Electricity Building, which housed a large exhibition of electrical appliances.
Power became more available to a greater number of people as small electrical companies were built across the country. A number of the small companies began to merge together, creating large conglomerates like General Electric and Westinghouse. The large companies built power plants equipped with generators that were used to produce electricity through the use of steam, fossil fuel combustion. Other plants that used kinetic power to generate wind and water power were built. With the development of nuclear power, it was discovered that it was possible to create electricity using the power that released by a nuclear reaction.
The demand for electricity grew by 12% each year for the first thirty years of the twentieth century. In order to keep up with today’s demand for electricity, renewable resources are being implemented to supply the much needed power. Many people are using solar power, hydro power and wind power are being put to use in order to meet the demands of consumers and to protect the environment.
