🤔 Today's Trivia Question:

The First City in the USA to Successfully Demonstrate Electric Lighting?

Correct Answer: B) Cleveland, OH.

💡 Cleveland Shines: Charles Brush and the Dawn of Electric Street Lighting

Charles Brush, the visionary inventor and entrepreneur, played a pivotal role in ushering Cleveland into the modern age with the introduction of electric street lighting. This innovation made Cleveland one of the first cities in the world to embrace electric lighting, marking a significant milestone in the city's history. On a memorable night in April 1879, the first electric street arc lamp illuminated Cleveland's Public Square, attracting crowds of curious onlookers eager to witness this new marvel. Some, however, were disappointed, expecting a blinding light rivaling the sun.

Brush's success in Cleveland led to further developments. By 1881, the city erected four towering steel masts, each 200 feet high, with eight lamps perched atop each mast. These lights, with a powerful 4,000 candlepower each, were designed to spread illumination across the entire city. However, the ambitious plan did not live up to expectations, and the masts were eventually dismantled in 1893.

Charles Brush’s journey as an inventor began in his youth, fueled by a passion for reading and an interest in the work of Sir Humphry Davy, who had created the first arc light. Inspired by Davy, Brush embarked on his own experiments, which intensified in 1872 and culminated in the invention of the modern series arc lamp. This breakthrough made arc lighting from central stations commercially viable, heralding the birth of the electric lighting industry.

One of Brush's key innovations was the development of a regulating shunt coil, which addressed the issue of maintaining a consistent arc. The arc lamps in Public Square, while revolutionary, required frequent replacement of carbon rods due to the extreme temperatures they produced—second only to the sun. To solve this, Brush invented a double carbon system, significantly improving the durability of the lamps.

Brush's influence extended far beyond Cleveland. His arc lights were installed in prominent locations across the globe, including London’s Parliament, St. Paul’s Church, and Charing Cross Station in 1880. By 1882, Tokyo and Shanghai had also adopted Brush street lights, making them the first cities in the Orient to do so.

Brush’s innovations also had a significant economic impact. The price of carbon sticks, crucial for the operation of arc lamps, plummeted from $100 per 1,000 to just $10 per 1,000, driving widespread adoption of electric lighting.

Source: myheritage.contentdm.oclc.org