1910's Science and Technology | The Future of Electricity

Lecture

By: Charles Proteus Steinmetz

Date: 1910

Source: Steinmetz, Charles. The Future of Electricity. New York: Electrical Trade School, 1910.

About the Author: Charles Proteus Steinmetz (1865–1923) was born in Prussia. Like his father, he was very short in stature, about four feet three inches. He attended the University of Breslau but left just before he would have been granted his degree with honors. Fearful of being persecuted for socialist activities, he emigrated to America, where he prospered as an electrical engineer at General Electric Co. and a professor at Union College in Schenectady, New York.

Introduction

In 1910, when Charles Steinmetz spoke to students at the New York Electrical Trade School, the electric industry was still relatively young. Most electric power generated in America was used for lighting and for electric streetcars....