Timeline: Energy use in the US

Mar 7, 1800

first battery

1800 First electric battery invented by Alessandro Volta. The “volt” is named in his honor

Mar 7, 1808

the first arc lamp

1808 Humphry Davy invented the first effective “arc lamp.” The arc lamp was a piece of carbon that glowed when attached to a battery by wires.

Mar 7, 1832

The first electric generator

1832 Using Faraday’s principles, Hippolyte Pixii built the first “dynamo,” an electric generator capable of delivering power for industry. Pixxi’s dynamo used a crank to rotate a magnet around a a piece of iron wrapped with wire. Because this devise used a coil of wire, it produced spikes of electric current followed by no current.

Mar 7, 1839

First fuel cell

1839 Sir William Robert Grove developed the first fuel cell, a device that produces electrical energy by combining hydrogen and oxygen

Mar 7, 1844

electric telegraph

1844 Samuel Morse invented the electric telegraph, a machine that could send messages long distances across wire

Mar 7, 1876

the first telephone

Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876. He made his first call in March to Thomas A. Watson, saying, "Mr. Watson, come here; I want you." Few people considered Bell's invention more than a toy, but it did not take long for people to install telephones in their homes, businesses, or towns. Bell owned the patents to the equipment and leased them out. Like other new technology, fantastic rumors about its abilities spread as telephones appeared first in New England, but quickly spread

Dec 17, 1903

the first military plane

The inventors of the first airplane were Orville and Wilbur Wright. On December 17, 1903, the Wright brothers made the first successful experiment in which a machine (aka airplane) carrying a man rose by its own power, flew naturally and at even speed, and descended without damage.

Mar 1, 1908

First car

Henry Ford realized his dream of producing an automobile that was reasonably priced, reliable, and efficient with the introduction of the Model T in 1908. This vehicle initiated a new era in personal transportation. It was easy to operate, maintain, and handle on rough roads, immediately becoming a huge success.