Thomas Edison invented the electrical utility industry. Although many investors were pursuing a commercial incandescent lamp in the late nineteenth century, Edison and his colleagues at Menlo Park succeeded - after thousands of experiments involving thousands of substances - in producing a practical lamp in 1879. Beyond that, however, Edison saw the need for a complete system to generate, transmit, and sell electrical power to industry and the public. Edison and his team divides the generators, dynamos, wires, cables, conduit, measuring instruments, and power stations that would allow that lamp to glow with the flip of a switch in both home and shop.
The world has never been the same: Edison illuminated the night, freed industry from its dependence on water and steam generation, and brought power to distant locations, permitting their settlement and growth. He helped create the modern world. This nation (and most others) is now crisscrossed by electrical power lines that bring power to even the remotest areas. In a sense, Edison was the first lineman, blazing the trail that all subsequent lineman follow.