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This was the day Benjamin Franklin did his famous kite experiment.
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Alessandro Volta invented the 1st battery, also known as the voltaic pile.
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Moritz Jacobi invented the first real electric motor.
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Alexandre Edmond Becquerel constructed the 1st photovoltaic cell. It was made from selenium wafers.
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Thomas Alva developed the first practical lightbulb for public use. The bulb lasted 13.5 hours.
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The world's 1st hydroelectric dam opened up on the Fox River.
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James Blyth built the first wind-powered generator at his cottage in Scotland.
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Piero Ginori Conti built the 1st geothermal power plant. It lit 4 lightbulbs.
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The first working transistor was invented at Bell Labs by Morris Tanenbaum. Transistors are the building blocks for electronics.
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The Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant was the first nuclear power plant hooked up to a power grid, producing 5 megawatts of electricity.