介绍:
For 'fully '70 'years, it had been 'under'stood that 'light could be pro'duced by e'lec'tricity, but the 'only com'mercial tech'nology that 'so 'far had been de'veloped was 'arc lighting a 'method that 'forced a 'current to 'jump be'tween 'two 'carbon 'rods, and pro'duced a light 'so blinding it could 'only be 'used 'out'doors or 'else in 'very 'large 'public 'spaces The al'ternative was the 'incan'descent 'bulb a tech'nology that 'first had been 'patented in '1841, 'six years before 'Edison was 'born, and 'still, nearly 'four 'decades 'later, had 'yet to be made 'viable Al'though he'd 'done no 'more than a 'couple days'↗ worth of pre'liminary ex'periments, 'Edison was 'sure he'd 'cracked the 'problem 'Edison 'kept on 'grabbing 'headlines over the 'next 'month 'claiming to have con'ceived of 'not 'merely a 'long-lasting 'incan'descent 'bulb, but 'also an en'tire e'lectrical 'power system, which would be 'both 'cheaper and 'safer than 'gas In 'short 'order, 'gas stocks 'plunged, and 'financiers began 'lining 'up at the 'Wizard's 'door 'all because of a germ of an i'dea 'Nearly 'four 'years had 'passed since 'Edison had 'promised to bring e'lec'tricity into 'people's 'homes 'four years 'full of 'obstacles and 'pressure and the per'sistent, 'pio'neering 'work of 'hundreds 'Now that he had a'chieved what 'many thought im'possible, the 'garrulous in'ventor was 'almost 'too worn out for 'comment "I have ac'complished 'all that I 'promised," 'Edison said to a re'porter
