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The first commercial installation of American inventor Thomas Edison's electric lighting system occurs, successfully providing light to the steamship Columbia.
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The first hydroelectric power station is founded in Appleton, Wisconsin.
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The first AC hydroelectric power plant is established in Oregon City, Oregon
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The first large-scale hydroelectric power plant, located in North America at Niagara Falls, begins delivering power.
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French physicist Antoine-Henri Becquerel first observes natural radioactivity
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J.J. Thomson carries out several experiments that lead him to conclude that cathode rays consist of a stream of negatively charged particles much smaller than an atom, dispelling the long-held belief that the atom was indivisible.
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Waldmar Jungner of Sweden develops the rechargeable nickel-cadmium battery.
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French husband-and-wife physicists Pierre and Marie Curie produce evidence that beta rays are a form of radiation identical to cathode rays.
German physicist Max Planck introduces his radiation law, the fundamental physical constant that bears his name, and his concept of energy quanta. German physicist Max Planck introduces his radiation law, the fundamental physical constant that bears his name, and his concept of energy quanta.
