First Three-Wire Electric Lighting
Sunbury, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
First successful use of a three-wire electric lighting system was made July 4, 1883, in the City Hotel building in Sunbury. Thomas A. Edison directed the work. The Edison Electric Illuminating Co. plant was at 4th and Vine Street.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
On July 4, 1883, Sunbury became a proving ground for the electric age when Thomas Edison directed the first successful use of his three-wire distribution system in the City Hotel. The three-wire design cut the amount of costly copper needed to carry power over distance, a practical breakthrough that made central-station electric lighting far more economical to build out.
Why it matters
This modest hotel demonstration solved a key engineering hurdle that helped electric lighting spread from novelty to nationwide infrastructure.
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Related people
- · Thomas A. Edison
Themes & tags
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