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Energy Events
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Kite Experiment
Benjamin Franklin hypothesized that lightning was electricity. In turn, he constructed and performed and experiment with a kite and a key where, supposedly, he went out when there was a bad storm and the lightning struck the kye, giving Franklin proof that his hypothesis was corrrect. -
First Electric Battery
Alessandro Volta invented the first electric battery. He made an electric current travel through brine soaked cloth due to metal inside of it. -
Watermill
Lester Pelton made the first watermill by using a turbine and two buckets. It was actually used in China during the Han dynasty (202 BC- 220 AD) in order to grind grain. -
The Telephone is Invented
Alexander Graham Bell is credited for inventing and patenting the first telephone. He was a Scottish-born American scientist that used his success and wealth to establish multiple and various research centers across the nation. -
Lightbulb
Thomas Edison is credited for the invention of the first lightbulb with a carbon filament. It introduced the United States to a new era of electricity. -
Hydroelectric Dams
The first hydroelectric plant was built by Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse in Niagra Falls. Adam's Power Station is the only thing left of the Niagra Falls plant in which it is now a museum. Around 20 million tourists visit on the Canadian side and about 8 million visit on the American side a year. -
Windmill
Professor James Blyth makes the first windmill made to produce electricity. First, the blades were made of wood and weren't very sturdy and safe in high winds. Later, the steel blade was introduced and made the windmill even more advanced. These were used primarily in agriculture in the American west as water pumps for cattle and irrigation. -
First Automobile
Henry Ford invented the first automobile running on oil. He called it the Model T and when it got more publicity, they started producing them in assembly lines with the introduction to mass production. This opened up many jobs for the unemployed population. -
Solar Energy
Russel Ohl is credited for inventing the first solar cell which produces and stores solar energy. This introduced America and the world to a cleaner and more efficient way of producing reusable energy. -
Alternative Energy
Alternative energy refers to energy sources that have no undesired consequences wuch as fossil fuels or nuclear energy. They are renewable and have low carbon emissions. Hydropower is the most used alternative energy source followed by solar and wind power.
