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Franklin discovers electricity
In 1752, Benjamin Franklin proved that static electricity and lightening were the same thing by flying a metal key on a kite during a thunderstorm -
First Battery
The first electric battery is invented by Alessandro Volta. The volt was later named in his honor. -
First Electric Motor
The first electric motor was invented by Michael Faraday. -
First Fuel Cell
Sir William Robert Grove developed the first fuel cell, a device that produces electrical energy by combining hydrogen and oxygen -
Edison Perfects Lightbulb
After many experiments, Thomas Edison invented an incandescent light bulb that could be used for about 40 hours without burning out. By 1880 his bulbs could be used for 1200 hours. -
First Power Station Opened
Thomas Edison opened th Pearl Street Power Station in New York City. The Pearl Street Station was one of the world’s first central electric power plants and could power 5,000 lights. The Pearl Street Station was a direct current (DC) power system, unlike the power systems that we use today which use alternating current (AC) -
First Air Pollution Control Device
T. Murray created the first air pollution control device, the “cinder catcher.” -
First Power Plant to Burn only Pulverized Coal
Lakeside Power Plant in Wisconsin becomes the world’s first power plant to burn only pulverized coal. -
Photoelectric Cells Created
Three researchers,Gerald Pearson, Daryl Chapin and Calvin Fuller, at Bell Laboratories discovered a silicon solar cell, which was the first material to directly convert enough sunlight into electricity to run electrical devices. The efficiency of the silicon solar cell, which Bell Labs produced, were 4%, which later increased to 11%. The cells were made by hand and cost $1000 per watt -
First US Power Plant
Shippingport Reactor in Pennsylvania was the first nuclear power plant to provide electricity to customers in the U.S
