Into the Electric Age: 1880 to 1900

[9780276445200]

This eighth and final volume in "The Adventure of Discovery & Inventions" series covers the period 1880 to 1900. As the 19th century drew to a close, a magical new source of power was beginning to permeate Western civilisation: electricity. The world's first power station opened in Britain, but electricity first firmly established itself in the USA, where Nikola Tesla's alternating current won out over Edison's direct current. Scientists were penetrating the secrets of matter and of the human body. X-rays, neurons, radioactivity and viruses were all discovered at this time. The first works of science fiction appeared, the Olympic Games were revived in Athens and cinema entertainment captivated its first audiences. Engineers harnessed the internal combustion engine to the motor car, though few suspected quite how far-reaching that development would turn out to be.