overview

Overview

In 1893, the World's Columbian Exposition opened in Chicago. It celebrated many new inventions and technologies of the 1800's, in particular, electric power and the electric light. Shortly after the fair, Thomas Edison began putting power stations in hundreds of communities. In 1895, huge hydroelectric generators at Niagara Falls began providing area industries with electric power. Electric power enabled factories to operate nearly nonstop and also made nearly instant communication possible. It also improved the lives of the poor people by making possible the manufacture of cheap, mass-produced goods and by making an inexpensive source of power available, although these effects were not felt immediately. Today, electric power serves as the foundation for modern urban society.