History of the United States II / Unit 4 USH2 0452 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Lighting the City
Captions available
The idea
Electric light spread through American cities after Edison's patent of eighteen eighty and the first commercial power plants of eighteen eighty-two.
In practice
Streets, factories and homes lit through the night by electric current.
Where people slip
Nikola Tesla's alternating current system, built for Westinghouse, carried power over distance. Cities could now stay open around the clock.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
Unlocks
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