May 1st, 1893:
One could argue that the electric light made its stage debut on May 1, 1893 at the World Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
Meant to be a celebration of the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ first voyage, the fair would be better known for a peek into the future of America — most specifically the future lighting of our country.
When President Grover Cleveland pushed a button and around 100,000 incandescent lamps illuminated the White City, we gained a vision of how America would change with light.
Over 27 million people came through the gates of the fair. Electricity and AC current were going to spread from coast to coast and beyond.
The “City of Light”, as it came to be dubbed, was powered by 12 thousand-horsepower AC polyphase generators. The fair showed how safe AC current could be. Westinghouse’s and Tesla’s exhibits displayed how electricity could reshape the nation.
The lighting of the fair marked a turning point in the AC-DC battle to power the county. In the next few years, AC power would become the standard for 80% of the country and most of the world.
Featured image courtesy of The Atlantic.
