In this episode of “The Gilded Age,” drama unfolds against a backdrop of a very significant change happening in cities around the world in the 1880s: the dawn of electricity being widely available, and the start of lightbulbs as common household items. Over 140 years later, it’s easy for us to take for granted electricity and artificial lighting, which surrounds us every day in our homes, workplaces, even on our portable devices. Putting ourselves in the shoes of late 19th century individuals, seeing the first electric lightbulbs lighting a city or in a home must have been breathtaking. In this episode of the podcast, we take a quick jaunt through the lead-up to the invention of lightbulbs, look at how fast electricity was installed across cities in the U.S. and around the world, and think about how it transformed our every day activities.
What inspired this episode?
In one of the most memorable scenes of the first season, a crowd of spectators gathers to watch as the New York Times building is lit up by the opening of a new electric generating station in the city. This scene was inspired by a real-life event that took place in September of 1882, when Thomas Edison’s Edison Illuminating Company turned on his power station on Pearl Street in lower Manhattan. This station then proceeded to provide electricity to New York City homes at a price that was comparable to gas. Residential and business customers quickly signed up, and the electrical age began. “The Gilded Age” chose to highlight this moment in American history because it did symbolize a big turning point in the U.S. and in the world: when we stopped using fire and gas to light our homes, and suddenly had access to the infinite possibilities (like coffee machines!) that electricity could offer.
Sources Consulted
I combined information from an especially wide variety of sources and my own personal research from ages ago in making this episode, but the following are a few of the main articles I consulted and found some good information from.
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