Science and Technology: Electrification

EARLY WORLD ELECTRIFICATION


    Electrification is the process of powering by electricity, and is usually associated with changing from one source to another.

    Nowadays taken for granted, electricity did not appear overnight. Electricity was pushed mainly through entrepreneurs and inventors creating new and exciting products. Other forms include citywide reforms. As a whole, no one person or civilization can take credit for the discovery of electricity. Ancient Greeks are known to have found static electricity by rubbing together fur and amber, but the ancient Roman and Persian empires left behind artifacts that are believed to be the earliest form of batteries. Below is a visual example:

  

20TH CENTURY ELECTRIFICATION
------- In 1908, the first efficient solar collector was invented by William J. Bailey. This collector stood out from its predecessors by containing copper coils and an insulated box. This design is roughly the same as what we use today. Bailey sold his devices under his company Day and Night Solar Heating, and later created and sold solar water heaters.


a photo of William J. Bailey next to one of his companies signs.

------- 1900 - Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (or Chicago Drainage Canal)


  Prior to the construction of this waterway reversal, Chicago's sewage was being poured into the Chicago River. What was not thought over, was the fact that the Chicago River stems into Lake Michigan, a drinking water source for many (Hey, Flint). Of course there was hysteria at the idea of polluted drinking water - the risk of typhoid fever, cholera, and dysentery were entirely prevalent. The idea was to dam the river, reverse its flow, and deal with the sewage somewhere in Des Plaines. This canal was minorly attempted before, yet the reversal of the river only lasted for one season.  

 Above is a map of the previous canal, which was much shallower.
Map showing the current location of the canal, plus the drinking water sources that the sewage would have contaminated. 


      Chart showing the electrification percentages per U.S. state in 1930 and 1940.  
STATE
1930
1940
(AL) Alabama
33.9
43.3
(AZ) Arizona
68.8
70.5
(AR) Arkansas
25.3
32.8
(CA) California
93.9
96
(CO) Colorado
69.6
77.6
(CT) Connecticut
95.3
96.5
(DE) Delaware
78.4
81.8
(FL) Florida
60.9
66.5
(GA) Georgia
35.5
46.6
(ID) Idaho
64.5
79.1
(IL) Illinois
86.1
89.9
(IN) Indiana
74.8
84
(IA) Iowa
65.6
76.7
(KS) Kansas
62
71.5
(KY) Kentucky
44.2
54.2
(LA) Louisiana
42.2
48.9
(ME) Maine
76.1
80.4
(MD) Maryland
81.8
85.9
(MA) Massachusetts
97.1
97.6

(MI) Michigan
84.8
92.1
(MN) Minnesota
65.9
75.8
(MS) Mississippi
19.4
28.3
(MO) Missouri
65.5
70.6
(MT) Montana
58.2
70.7
(NE) Nebraska
61
70.5
(NV) Nevada
76.2
80.8
(NH) New Hampshire
84.9
87
(NJ) New Jersey
95.8
96.6
(NM) New Mexico
39.8
49.2
(NY) New York
94.5
96.4
(NC) North Carolina
40.8
54.4
(ND) North Dakota
41.6
53.8
(OH) Ohio
85.2
90.6
(OK) Oklahoma
45.3
55.1
(OR) Oregon
79.5
85.8
(PA) Pennsylvania
89.5
92.3
(RI) Rhode Island
97.3
97.7
(SC) South Carolina
34.3
46.2
(SD) South Dakota
44.4
56.6

(TN) Tennessee
42
50.9
(TX) Texas
x
59
(UT) Utah
88.4
93.9
(VT) Vermont
71.9
80.2
(VA) Virginia
50.5
60.6
(WA) Washington
86.3
90.9
(WV) West Virginia
63.4
69.1
(WI) Wisconsin
74.5
83.9
(WY) Wyoming
60
70.9






SOURCES

http://www.universetoday.com/82402/who-discovered-electricity/
http://www.greatachievements.org/?id=2971

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