First Edison Lights at Sea: The SS Columbia Story, 1880-1907 [History]

When Thomas Edison set out to develop a practical and economical incandescent electric light bulb in mid-1878, he quickly realized that, to achieve commercial success, he would have to create a complete electrical system to generate and deliver electric energy to customers. Modeled on (then) long-established and successful gas lighting systems, Edison's plan was to combine a central power station with a system of electrical conductors radiating out from it to distribute electrical energy to multiple end users.