Electricity Innovations
Although the modern electrical service industry did not start until the late 1800s, electricity has fascinated us since our ancestors first witnessed the lightning. The ancient Greeks discovered that rubbing amber produced an electric charge. Electricity is a basic part of nature and is one of our most used forms of energy. It is a secondary energy source that we obtain from the conversion of primary sources such as natural gas, oil, coal and nuclear energy. Many cities and towns were built next to waterfalls that turned water wheels to do work. Before the start of the generation of electricity, kerosene lamps lit the houses, ice boxes were used to keep food cold and the rooms were heated with stoves. The "needs" of today, such as light bulbs, fans, air conditioners and refrigerators, are derived from the ideas of the inventors who lived more than 100 years ago. Many of us are familiar with Benjamin Franklin's famous comet experiment and Thomas Edison's light bulb, b...