Electrification and Challenging Our Preconceptions [Viewpoint]

It is difficult to overstate the impact of electrification on society. The earliest experiments advanced our understandings of the physical world. Electricity enabled the telegraph and telephone, revolutionizing the transmission of information. Electricity has continued to transform communications with television, satellites, the Internet, and cell phones. The inventions of Thomas Edison and many others transformed household life and entertainment. In industry, electric lights improved safety by replacing gas lamps. Industrial motors and task machines improved safety and efficiency by replacing steam engines and beltdriven tools. The electrolytic production of aluminum and other materials reduced costs. Overall, the U.S. National Academy of Engineering considered electrification as the greatest engineering accomplishment of the 20th century.