Lighting Every Home

Before Thomas Alva Edison invented the light bulb, most houses do not have any electrical connections. Instead, arc lamps, which required gas supply, were the most common source of indoor lights in urban areas, second only to candles. Hence, houses were connected to gas pipes instead of electrical wires. Generated electrical energy then was more of a curiosity than of any practical use. There were no personal computers, no internet connections, no TV, no radio, no video games, no cellular phones, no PDAs. Common conveniences that we take for granted today were either stuff of science fiction or still in the imaginations of inventors.

Today, however, house electrical connections are ubiquitous. There are no neighborhoods, even in the most rural areas that do not have electrical connections. Well, perhaps, only the Amish communities still choose to live by candle lights. A fully functional house today at least has an electrical connection. Electrical connection is the modern day equivalent of ancient fire hearths of the ancient Greek households. Electrical connection is very basic in house or building construction. Layout of electrical connections is always included in the house plans. Thomas Alva Edison, if he were alive today, would have certainly have been glad to see that the results of his labors are now integral part of our civilization.