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Ben Franklin tied a key to a kite during a thunderstorm and proved that static electricity and lightning were the same thing.
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Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot built the first military tractor that ran by itself on steam. It could only go 2.5 miles per hour.
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Alessandro Volta invented the first electric battery.
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Samuel Morey created an engine that ran on ethanol and turpentine.
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Thomas Davenport invented the electric motor which is used in most electric appliances today.
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Samuel Morse invented the electric telegraph that could send messages long distances through wires.
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Auguste Mouchout was able to convert solar radiation directly into mechanical power.
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Henry Ford produced the Model T, a flexible fuel vehicle. It could run on ethanol, gasoline, or a combination of the two.
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The first test of a nuclear weapon, code-named Trinity,occurred in Alamogordo, New Mexico.
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This was the first time that power was generated from a commercial nuclear plant in Santa Susana, California.