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Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History (ed. Benson Lossing) 8 0 Browse Search
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Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History (ed. Benson Lossing), Electricity in the nineteenth century. (search)
Electricity in the nineteenth century. Elihu Thomson (q. v.), the celebrated inventor and electrician, writes as follows: The latter half of the nineteenth century must ever remain memorable, not only for the great advances in nearly all the useful arts, but for the peculiarly rapid electric progress, and the profound effect which it has had upon the lives and business of the people. In the preceding century we find no evidences of the application of electricity to any useful purpose. Few of the more important principles of the science were then known. Franklin's invention of the lightning-rod was not intended to utilize electric force, but to guard life and property from the perils of the thunder-storm. Franklin's kite experiment confirmed the long-suspected identity of lightning and electric sparks. It was not, however, until the discovery by Alexander Volta, in 1799, of his pile, or battery, that electricity could take its place as an agent of practical value. V
Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History (ed. Benson Lossing), Standards, National Bureau of (search)
Standards, National Bureau of A bureau organized under an act of Congress in 1901, and consisting of Dr. H. S. Pritchett, president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Dr. Ira Remsen, of Johns Hopkins University; Elihu Thomson, of Boston; Edwin L. Nichols, of Cornell University, and Albert L. Colby, of Pennsylvania. Under the law the bureau is to make all comparisons, calibrations, tests, or investigations for the government or for the State governments free of charge, but for others a fee is to be charged. Few of the States give any attention to the matter of standards, and the trouble everywhere is that every city and town has standards secured from private concerns.
Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History (ed. Benson Lossing), Thomson, Elihu 1853- (search)
Thomson, Elihu 1853- Electrician; born in Manchester, England, March 29, 1853; graduated at Central High School in 1870; appointed Professor of Chemistry in Central High School in 1870; connected with the Thomson-Houston and General Electric companies for the past twenty years. Mr. Thomson has patented many hundreds of inventions bearing upon electric welding, lighting, heating, and power. He was made an officer of the Legion of Honor by the French government in 1889. See electricity. Thomson, Elihu 1853- Electrician; born in Manchester, England, March 29, 1853; graduated at Central High School in 1870; appointed Professor of Chemistry in Central High School in 1870; connected with the Thomson-Houston and General Electric companies for the past twenty years. Mr. Thomson has patented many hundreds of inventions bearing upon electric welding, lighting, heating, and power. He was made an officer of the Legion of Honor by the French government in 1889. See electricity.