The Lights of Manhattan

Edison planned his first American central power station to be built in lower Manhattan Island at Pearl Street Station.  The station was to be built on a site 50 feet by 100 feet and would supply electricity to a half mile area.  Edison had promised in 1878 never to show or offer the electric light until it was so perfected that it was a certain instantaneous victory over the gas light.  For decades he had tested sockets, switches, fuses, lamp holders, and every part he could.  Finally in 1882, he was ready.

The Pearl Street Station (shown on right) purposely would serve Wall Street and the New York Times offices - places that could win support to provide electric lighting all across America.  The wires were buried underground (against city officials preference) with new tubing and new standards of insulation invented, of course, by Edison himself.  These would become incorporated into the earliest laws of electric power in New York.

The Pearl Street Station cost was about $600,000, but there was nothing like it in all the world.  All the devices and parts were home-made at Menlo Park.  On September 4, 1882 at 3 pm the switch was thrown, and 400 lights went on for 85 customers.  At 7 pm, in the New York Times offices, the 52 lamps glowed bright and steady.  One employee said "it seemed almost like writing by daylight."

America had seen its first city lights.   Thomas Alva Edison was just 34 years old.  He said afterwards that "it was time to take a long vacation in the matter of inventions."  The young Edison was called the "King of Invention" and the "Modern Magician."  We thank you Mr. Edison, for the "electric candles" that light our world every day.

Next time...moving into R&D
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Today in Pioneer History: "On April 27, 1773, the British Parliament passes the Tea Act, a bill designed to save the faltering East India Company from bankruptcy by lowering the tea tax it paid to the British government.  This granted basically a monopoly on the American tea trade and led to the Boston Tea party in 1773, where an estimated $1 million dollars worth of tea (in today's standards) was dumped in Boston Harbor, and ultimately led to the American Revolution."

Traveling the World

After his demonstration of the "electric candle" in Menlo Park in December 1880, Edison continued his publicity campaign by announcing his search worldwide for the perfect vegetable fiber for his incandescent filaments.  Agents were sent to China, Japan, the Amazon, Cuba, the West Indies and Central America.  Edison hoped to keep investors and future customers alive with interest in his "ongoing" invention.  The newspapers called his traveling agents "dauntless knights of civilization."  One agent sent to Cuba, however, died of yellow fever while another just home from the Amazon, disappeared from a restaurant in New York, never to be seen again.

In 1888, however, a railroad and shipping magnet gave Edison his first chance to install a complete lighting system.  The S.S. Columbia was the first ship to be electrically lit in history.  On arrival in San Francisco on its two month maiden voyage from New York, all 115 incandescent lamps were still burning after 415 ship hours.

Edison operated his first urban incandescent lighting system in London the following year.  Two generators shipped from New York provided the power to 2000 lamps in the neighborhood, including the Central British Port Office Building.  Edison had proved his electric candle's promise in grand scale.  Now it was time to light up America...

Next time...Pearl Street Station
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Today in Pioneer History:  "On April 23, 1564, William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-on-the Avon.  Not only did he write over 30 of the best plays and 154  of the best sonnets in history, but he was also an actor at the Globe Theater on the Thames in London in a company called "The King's Men." His play are performed and read more often and in more nations that any other literature with the exception of the Bible.  It was said by Ben Jonson that "he was not of an age, but for all time."  Happy Birthday Bill!  

Dramatic Flair

Even though Edison was building the "electric candle" on the proven ground of gas lighting which had subdivided light and already tested the market, he needed to provide a cheaper, better substitute for the dangerous gas light.  Being Edison, he was confident he could, and it would be a total system.  He couldn't just solve one problem, he had to solve them all at the same time.

He set about using advertising to showcase his idea and his success, and gain investors, on the front page of the New York Herald on December 21, 1879:

                              EDISON'S LIGHT THE GREAT INVENTOR'S TRIUMPH
                                            IN ELECTRIC ILLUMINATION
                                                   A SCRAP OF PAPER
              IT MAKES A LIGHT WITHOUT GAS OR FLAME, CHEAPER THAN OIL
                                       SUCCESS WITH A COTTON THREAD

The reporter added the dramatic with his story of applying an electrical current to that tiny "scrap of paper that a breath would blow away" and how it produced "a bright beautiful light like the mellow sunset of an Italian autumn." 

Edison announced that Menlo Park would be illuminated by "magical new lighting" on New Year's Eve 1886.  In the week between Christmas and New Year's crowds came in droves to see Edison's light of the future.  Forty incandescent bulbs from a single electric generator amazed the visitors - not just the lights themselves but the fact that they could turn off and on instantly!  America was not only amazed, they were ready for electric light!

Next time...Keeping the lights on
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Today in Pioneer History: "On April 20, 1841, the first detective story is published by Edgar Allen Poe - "The Murders in the Rue Morgue."  The story describes the extraordinary analytical powers used by Monsieur C Augusta Dupin to solve a series of murders in Paris. 

Not Just Inventing

To provide electricity to towns, both residential and industrial, Edison began working on both - as well as a central power station - all at the same time.  His obvious first step would have been to subdivide the arc light, the proven source of light, but again Edison chose another path...

Edison's first step was to develop an electric light that would emit a small glow in an enclosed lamp.  This was "incandescent" light, not requiring a flame but used a filament to produce glowing white heat.  The "glow lamp" had been the focus for 50 previous years by this time, with no success.  Those in the years before had used filaments of metals or carbon in glass from which air was removed.  These glowed for only a few minutes and used a great deal of copper wire, making them quite expensive.  Thus the conclusion was that incandescent lighting was impossible, both in theory and practice.

Edison, of course, took a different approach and turned the problem around.  His filament used less current with higher voltage which resulted in using less copper wire.  Edison used 1/100 the amount of copper wire as previous experiments while producing a longer glow.  The whole idea suddenly became feasible.  By rethinking the problem, Edison had to just find the right burner.  He already knew the qualities needed so after trying all kinds of materials, he finally did a successful trial with a carbonized cotton filament in 1879.  This filament glowed for 40 hours!  Edison had improved the vacuum in his light bulb as well which extended the "glow time."

On November 1, 1879, Edison applied for a patent on a carbon filament lamp.  At the same time, he designed a parallel circuit whose 1000s of outlets could be independently turned off and on.  Along with that he designed an improved dynamo - making all of it possible.  Edison was not simply, "inventing" a new incandescent bulb anymore, he was organizing a new electric lighting system for communities,  That system which will change the world.

Next time...perfecting the system
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Today in Pioneer History: "On April 16, 1889, Charles Spencer Chaplin, Hollywood legend and my personal favorite, was born in London,  After a rough London childhood on the streets collecting pennies with his brother for entertainment.  His "tramp" made him a silent screen star.  What you may not know is that he and his partners, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks,  founded United Artists Movie Studio and Charlie wrote the song, "Smile."  Happy Birthday Charlie!  

It Starts with an Idea

Edison understood the problems of early electrical lighting - the series current, the lack of power plants and the popularity of gas lighting as well as the dangers.  He also thought there was a better way.  In 1878 he revealed to a New York Sun reporter his idea of a total system.

His system would send out electric power through a wire network to every household where the current would illuminate thousands of small household lights instead of few large ones.  He predicted New York City would have half a million alone.  His predictions enlisted financial aid from Vanderbilt and Drexel, Morgan and Company.

Edison had no idea how to accomplish his idea at this point, but he had the confidence that his Menlo Park invention factory would get it done.  He knew that 90% of the gas lighting business was open to something new (10% was in street-lighting which he didn't see electric lighting as an outdoor competitor).  Household lighting, on the other hand, making a small light for use in residential homes, was indeed possible.

Edison envisioned a universal network of electric power lines, thus the danger of gas lighting in public places like theaters could be eliminated.  He showed how the cost of converting coal and steam power into electric power compared to that of gas.  Urban areas could be subdivided into areas that needed more power, like industry with those that needed less, like residential.  The new electric current would allow lights to turn off and on separately instead of all on a series current.

All this from a central power station wired with thousands of outlets.  Edison's mind began to make it a reality...

Next time - The vision comes real
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Today in Pioneer History: "On April 13, 1870,  the Metropolitan  Museum of Art opens in New York City.  It was the brainchild of Americans in Paris and a number of wealthy New Yorkers, the MET would become one of the world's premier centers of art. 

The Problem with Electric Light

Edison's Invention Factory at Menlo Park became part of the American economy with the founding of the Edison Electric Light Company in 1878.  American daily life was forever changed by Edison's electric light bulb, but we are ahead of ourselves...

Edison wasn't the first to experiment with electric lighting.  In the 1860s lights were in use in England's endless lighthouses.  In 1876, lights burned at the Philadelphia Exposition and again at the Paris Exposition in 1878.  Edison's early experiments in electrical lighting were put on the back burner while he invented the phonograph. 

The first public demonstration of light was back in 1808 when Sir Humphrey Davy demonstrated his electric light arcing between to carbon rods using a 2000 cell battery.  Batteries used for light was not practical until the invention of the dynamo in 1880 which replaced the battery power.

Gas lighting was in common use for public safety in large cities like Baltimore, Boston, New York, Brooklyn, and New Orleans, who had lighted streets, factories and wealthy private homes.  By 1875 the number of gas companies had risen to 400 plus in just 40 years, but this was confined to big cities.  For rural Americans and small towns, candles and oil were still used.  The small areas didn't have the resources to build gas companies.

When Edison's Electric Light Company started, arc lighting was still in little use in private homes, offices or businesses.  The arc light produced light by burning and like gas, could only be used with an open flame.  Carbon rods needed replacement often and the brilliant light it gave off could not be adjusted.  All the lights in the "series circuit" had to be off or on together.  If one short circuited, the whole system was out.

Gas lighting had many advantages over early electric lighting however.  Gas companies still made most of their revenue from offices and homes.  Edison decided he could solve that problem - which he saw as a "social" problem - a market problem.

Next time...Solving the problem
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Today in Pioneer History: "On April 9, 1881, Billy the Kid is convicted of murder in a one day trial  for murdering the Lincoln County, New Mexico sheriff. 

For the Love of Invention

In the United States post-Civil War years, it was reported that successful invention was seldom the work of a solitary inventor.  However, a study of 70 cases of inventions in Europe and America during this period would show these came from the inventor with meager resources, struggling to invent.  These inventions included the jet engine, the process of making soap and margarine, power steering, magnetic tape recording, Bakelite, the helicopter, Kodachrome, the zipper and the self-winding wristwatch - all inventions made by solo inventors.

The organizational quest for the invention, however was new.  In modern America, the most substantial, most calculating, and the largest, most respectable enterprise would produce the most respectable inventor who would make it his profession.  No longer the profession of the eccentric madman - the inventor became the geniuses of the scientific world.

Thomas Alva Edison saw inventing as a passion.  He sometimes complained that every young applicant for a job at Menlo Park wanted to know how much the pay was or how long the hours were.  "Well we don't pay anything, and we work all the time!" - Edison would tell them.  Many young men shared his passion and joined him in his work at Menlo Park, pay or no pay.  Simply for the love of invention.

Next time...The Edison Electric Light Company
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Today in Pioneer History: "On March 8, 1896, the first modern Olympic Games is held in Athens, Greece.  It was the first time in 1,500 years that athletes competed from 13 nations in the games.  The events included track and field, gymnastics, wrestling and the first ever marathon to an audience of 60,000 people. 

Setting up Menlo Park

In the spring of 1876, Thomas Edison, not yet 30 years old, moved 15 workers to the isolated village of Menlo Park, New Jersey in a 30 foot by 100 foot white clapboard building where horse-drawn trucks brought rolls of wire, boxes of chemical books, a brown steam engine and a gasoline converter to supply gaslight.  Edison was already well-established as an inventor by this time from his work in New York City. 

Edison's inventions by the time he moved to Menlo Park included improvements to the telegraph, an electric pen, and a mimeograph machine.  Now his "invention factory" was where he intended to turn invention into a large scale business according to what the market wanted.  Edison assembled men who could make parts of inventions just as a factory hired men to assemble parts of a car.

Edison had his own toolmakers - even his own mathematical physicist!   He believed the best way to invent was to collect enough competent men and the best equipment to organize and carry out the drudgery of invention.  He probably put little store in "inspiration" or "inventive genius" because he believed that there was no such thing as a genius. (His quote)  He became known as the "Wizard of Menlo Park." That title probably didn't appeal to him either :)

Next time...The invention factory gets going
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Today in Pioneer History: "On April 2, 1917, Jeanette Pickering Rankin becomes the first woman ever elected to Congress as a representative from Montana.  Before being elected Rankin worked as a social worker in the states of Montana and Washington.  She joined the woman's suffrage movement in 1910 and campaigned for the right to vote, being instrumental in the passage of the legislation in her home state of Montana.  (You go girl!)

Electrical Engineer

When Thomas Alva Edison came to New York City in 1869, the telegraph was already serving the Gold Exchange by transmitting electrical impulses and market information across distances.  At the height of the gold speculation, however, the system broke down.  Edison quickly found the problem, fixed the machines and was then promptly employed by the Gold Indicator Company for $300 a month (a good sum back then).  After making several improvements to the market system, he started calling himself an "electrical engineer."

Western Union discovered his talents and added him to their team of inventors.  His first assignment?  Manufacture 1200 of his new ticker design for the sum of $500,000.  At only age 24, he had started to make his mark in a big way (at least in New York City!)

The telegraph had another problem - it needed a way to send more than one message at a time over the wire as the present system was too slow.  Edison had actually been working on that very thing sing 1869 when he arrived in New York.  He had already come up with a "duplex" machine that would send a message in both directions at the same time.  By 1874, he had invented the "quadruplex" machine which sent two messages in both directions at the same time.  This one machine doubled Western Union output, saving millions of dollars.

Jay Gould (of railroad fame) actually bought Edison's interest in the quadruplex.  The transaction was so complicated that lawyers fought it out in court for decades.  Edison earned the nickname of "Professor of Duplicity and Quadruplicity."  (Ha ha)

Next time...The Wizard of Menlo Park
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Today in Pioneer History: "On March 30, 1867,  US Secretary of State, William Seward signs a treaty with Russia for the purchase of Alaska for $7 million.  Despite the bargain of roughly 2 cents an acre, the Alaskan purchase was ridiculed in Congress and in the press as "Seward's Folly" and President Johnson called it the "polar bear garden."  (Amazing isn't it?)

Social Inventor

"Discovery is not invention, and I dislike to see the two words confounded.  A discovery is more or less in the nature of an accident. If America wants new products, they can wait for discoveries"...the words of the then 29 year-old of "social inventor," Thomas Alva Edison.  Edison wanted to turn out a "minor invention every ten days and a big thing every six months or so."  By invention, Edison meant a social, marketable product.

When just 15 years-old (1862) Edison had his first encounter with telegraphy quite by accident.  Telegraphy at that time had been electricity's most important practical application.  Edison was selling newspapers on the Grand Trunk Railway in Mount Clemens, Michigan, when he rescued the stationmaster's son from a moving train.  The father invited Edison to live with his family and trained him as a telegraph operator as a thank-you for his heroic action.  Edison was thus brought into the mysterious new world of electricity.

Edison was granted his first patent before he was twenty years-old.  He invented the telegraphic vote-recording machine for the roll call in Congress.  After seeing how long it took to register each member, Edison invented a machine that would allow each Congressman to press a button at his seat which would register on the Speaker's desk.  It wasn't a hit...Congress said that it would abolish the traditional opportunities to filibuster which each minority party needed.  This taught Edison a lesson that he always remembered - commercial demand was important in the equation of any invention.

Next time..Edison on Wall Street
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Today in Pioneer History: "On March 26, 1953, American medical researcher Dr. Jonas Salk announces on a national radio show that he has successfully tested a vaccine against poliomyelitis, the virus that causes the crippling disease of polio.  In 1952, an epidemic year for polio, there were 58,000 new cases reported in the United States with more than 3,000 deaths.  Dr. Salk was celebrated as the great doctor-benefactor of his time.  (Still got the scar on your arm?)