Energy & Power

The Museum's collections on energy and power illuminate the role of fire, steam, wind, water, electricity, and the atom in the nation's history. The artifacts include wood-burning stoves, water turbines, and windmills, as well as steam, gas, and diesel engines. Oil-exploration and coal-mining equipment form part of these collections, along with a computer that controlled a power plant and even bubble chambers—a tool of physicists to study protons, electrons, and other charged particles.

A special strength of the collections lies in objects related to the history of electrical power, including generators, batteries, cables, transformers, and early photovoltaic cells. A group of Thomas Edison's earliest light bulbs are a precious treasure. Hundreds of other objects represent the innumerable uses of electricity, from streetlights and railway signals to microwave ovens and satellite equipment.

The energy crises of the 1970s inspired inventors to try novel ideas for new light bulbs. One of the more unusual designs emerged from the drawing board of Manhattan Project veteran Leo Gross.
Description
The energy crises of the 1970s inspired inventors to try novel ideas for new light bulbs. One of the more unusual designs emerged from the drawing board of Manhattan Project veteran Leo Gross. Supported by Merrill Skeist at Spellman High Voltage Electronics Corporation, Gross designed a compact fluorescent lamp that he called a "magnetic arc spreader" (MAS).
The design took advantage of a fundamental aspect of electro-magnetism known since the early 1800s. When a current flows through a coil of wire, it produces a magnetic field. The arc discharge that travels between the electrodes of a fluorescent lamp can be affected by the presence of such a field. In the center of the MAS lamp seen here there is a copper coil. Current moving through the coil creates a magnetic field that spreads out the electrical arc within the lamp. The expanded arc energizes phosphor throughout the lamp's entire length.
The concept was tested at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, and General Electric became interested. In 1978 GE purchased a one-year license from Spellman in order to conduct further tests but determined that the necessary glasswork would make the lamp too expensive for commercial production. GE donated one of their test lamps to the Smithsonian in 1998—the only known surviving example of this experimental design.
Lamp characteristics: No base. Two stranded lead-wires extend about 2" from either end, and each end has one lead wire encased in a glass insulating tube. Two coiled tungsten electrodes are mounted in a hollow cylindrical envelope. The exhaust tip is near one set of leads, and the envelope has an internal phosphor coating. A coil of bare copper wire held together with black string is inserted into the center of the envelope. A current passing thru this coil spreads the arc between electrodes so that more of the phosphor is activated.
Date made
ca 1978
date made
ca. 1978
maker
General Electric Corporate Research & Development Laboratory
inventor
Spellman High Voltage Electronics Corp.
ID Number
1998.0050.15
accession number
1998.0050
catalog number
1998.0050.15
As energy prices soared in the 1970s, lamp makers focused research efforts on raising the energy efficiency of electric lamps. A great deal of effort by many researchers went into designing small fluorescent lamps that might replace a regular incandescent lamp.
Description
As energy prices soared in the 1970s, lamp makers focused research efforts on raising the energy efficiency of electric lamps. A great deal of effort by many researchers went into designing small fluorescent lamps that might replace a regular incandescent lamp. These efforts led to modern compact fluorescent lamps that use bent or connected tubes, but many other designs were tried. This experimental "partition lamp" from 1978 shows one such design.
Soon after the 1939 introduction of linear fluorescent lamps, inventors began receiving patents for smaller lamps. But they found that the small designs suffered from low energy efficiency and a short life-span. Further research revealed that energy efficiency in fluorescent lamps depends in part on the distance the electric current travels between the two electrodes, called the arc path. A long arc path is more efficient than a short arc path. That's why fluorescent tubes in stores and factories are usually 8 feet (almost 3 meters) long.
Inventors in the 1970s tried many ways of putting a long arc path into a small lamp. In this case there are thin glass walls inside the lamp, dividing it into four chambers. Each chamber is connected in such a way that the electric current travels the length of the lamp four times when moving from one electrode to the other. So the arc path is actually four times longer than the lamp itself, raising the energy efficiency of the lamp. This unit was made by General Electric for experiments on the concept, though other makers were also working on partition lamps.
While the partition design works, it proved to be expensive to manufacture and most lamp makers decided to use thin tubes that could be easily bent and folded while being made.
Lamp characteristics: No base. Two stem assemblies each have tungsten electrodes in a CCC-6 configuration with emitter. Welded connectors, 3-piece leads with lower leads made of stranded wire. Bottom-tipped, T-shaped envelope with internal glass partition that separates the internal space into four connected chambers. Partition is made of two pieces of interlocked glass and is not sealed into the envelope. All glass is clear. No phosphors were used since the experimenter wanted to study the arc path.
Date made
ca 1978
date made
ca. 1978
maker
General Electric Corporate Research & Development Laboratory
ID Number
1998.0050.16
accession number
1998.0050
catalog number
1998.0050.16
Date made
1885
ID Number
EM.314917
catalog number
314917
accession number
212336
Linear incandescent lamp with a carbon filament. Made by the Johns-Manville Company.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Linear incandescent lamp with a carbon filament. Made by the Johns-Manville Company.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1908
maker
H. W. Johns-Manville Co.
ID Number
1997.0388.68
catalog number
1997.0388.68
accession number
1997.0388
associated institution
Faesch & Piccard
ID Number
EM.315850
catalog number
315850
accession number
221414
Date made
1882
date made
1887
associated person
Edison, Thomas Alva
maker
Bergmann & Co.
ID Number
EM.181754
catalog number
181754
accession number
33261
This pen-and-ink comic art drawing by Rube Goldberg from 1924 features the concept of using “windy” political speeches as free energy.Rube Goldberg (1883-1970) was an engineer before he was a comic artist.
Description (Brief)
This pen-and-ink comic art drawing by Rube Goldberg from 1924 features the concept of using “windy” political speeches as free energy.
Rube Goldberg (1883-1970) was an engineer before he was a comic artist. After receiving an engineering degree, he started his career designing sewers for the City of San Francisco, but then followed his other interest and took a job as a sports cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle. After moving to New York in 1907 Goldberg worked for several newspapers, producing a number of short-lived strips and panels—many of which were inspired by his engineering background, including his renowned invention cartoons. In the late 1930s and 1940s he switched his focus to editorial and political cartoons and in 1945 founded the National Cartoonists Society. The Reuben, comic art’s most prestigious award, is named after him.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1924-10-31
original artist
Goldberg, Rube
ID Number
GA.23492
catalog number
23492
accession number
299186
Carbon filament lamp with tipless envelope. Designed by Herman J. Jaeger, lamp has an angled exhaust tube inside stem.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Carbon filament lamp with tipless envelope. Designed by Herman J. Jaeger, lamp has an angled exhaust tube inside stem.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1910
maker
Tipless Lamp Co.
ID Number
1997.0388.63
catalog number
1997.0388.63
accession number
1997.0388
Date made
c1882
ca 1882
associated person
Edison, Thomas Alva
maker
Bergmann & Co.
ID Number
EM.331146
accession number
294351
catalog number
331146
collector/donor number
20-03
As energy prices soared in the 1970s, General Electric, like other lamp makers, focused research efforts on raising the energy efficiency of electric lamps.
Description
As energy prices soared in the 1970s, General Electric, like other lamp makers, focused research efforts on raising the energy efficiency of electric lamps. One research program conducted by John Anderson at the GE Corporate Research and Development Laboratory in Schenectady, New York, sought to make a small fluorescent lamp that might replace a regular incandescent lamp.
Most fluorescent lamps, large and small, operate by passing an electric current through a gas between two electrodes. The current energizes the gas that in turn radiates ultraviolet (UV) light. The UV is converted to visible light by a coating of phosphors inside the glass envelope of the lamp. Electrodes are responsible for much of the energy lost in a fluorescent lamp and are usually the part of the lamp that fails. Instead of electrodes, Anderson's design used a donut-shaped, ferrite (an iron oxide compound) to generate an electric field. The field energized the gas.
He called his design a Solenoidal Electric Field (SEF) lamp. The one seen here is an experimental unit made around 1978. While the lamp worked in the lab, the electronics to control it were expensive and generated heat that needed to be dissipated. As with other electrodeless lamps, radio-frequency interference was a concern. By the early 1980s GE decided to shelve the SEF lamp and market a miniature metal-halide lamp instead. In the late 1990s, however, GE took advantage of the lower cost and higher capability of electronic components and marketed an electrodeless lamp that built on prior work—including the SEF lamp.
Lamp characteristics: No base. A 1.5" (outside dia.) toroid-shaped ferrite is mounted vertically inside the lamp and held in place by a wire cradle. The conducting wire is insulated with woven nylon and wrapped ten turns around the top of the ferrite. A woven nylon mat is wrapped around the ferrite under the conductor, and another is placed between the conductor and the top-plate of the mount-cradle. A metal lead extends from the bottom of the ferrite into the exhaust-tip where it spirals around a metal cylinder. Tipless, AT-shaped envelope.
Date made
ca 1978
date made
ca. 1978
maker
General Electric Corporate Research & Development Laboratory
ID Number
1998.0050.07
accession number
1998.0050
catalog number
1998.0050.07
Date made
1885
maker
Edison, Thomas Alva
ID Number
EM.314919
catalog number
314919
accession number
212336
Experimental carbon filament lamp with electrode. This may be an Edison-effect lamp, forerunner to the radio tube.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Experimental carbon filament lamp with electrode. This may be an Edison-effect lamp, forerunner to the radio tube.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1895
ID Number
1997.0388.65
catalog number
1997.0388.65
accession number
1997.0388
In 1878 Thomas Edison had achieved international renown due to his invention of a machine that could talk: the phonograph. His inventive activities in the field of telegraphy were well known in that important industry.
Description
In 1878 Thomas Edison had achieved international renown due to his invention of a machine that could talk: the phonograph. His inventive activities in the field of telegraphy were well known in that important industry. Although his most prolific days as an inventor lay ahead, people understood that "the Wizard of Menlo Park" was someone to be taken seriously.
This bust of Edison was made in 1878 for the Phrenological Institute of New York. Phrenology (today dismissed as false science) involved the study of the shape and size of people's heads. Phrenologists believed that one could measure and rank factors like intellegence, honesty and creativity through a close study of the external features of the head. An accurate record of Edison's head would preserve a record of someone perceived as quite creative and intellegent, allowing comparisions to be made to a known standard.
The bust was made by J. Beer, Jr.
Date made
1878
1878
associated person
Edison, Thomas Alva
maker
S. R. Wells & Co.
ID Number
EM.310582
catalog number
310582
accession number
123470
Alarm Clock by Rube Goldberg, circa 1970.
Description
Alarm Clock by Rube Goldberg, circa 1970. This non-working, sculpted model signed by Rube Goldberg was crafted [during the 1960s] to replicate a cartoon from the series The Inventions of Professor Lucifer Gorgonzola Butts that he drew for between 1914 and 1964.
Inscription: At 6 a.m. garbage man picks up ashcan, causing mule to kick over statue of Indian warrior. Arrow punctures bucket and ice cubes fall on false teeth, causing them to chatter and nip elephant's tail. Elephant raises his trunk in pain, pressing lever which starts toy maestro to lead quartet in sad song. Sentimental girl breaks down and cries into flower pot, causing flower to grow and tickle man's feet. He rocks with laughter, starting machine that rings gong and slides sleeper out of bed into slippers on wheels, which propel him into bathroom where cold shower really wakes him up.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
circa 1970
depicted
Butts, Lucifer Gorgonzola
original artist
Goldberg, Rube
ID Number
GA.23502
accession number
1972.289709
catalog number
GA*23502
accession number
289709
This scale model of Thomas Edison's Pearl Street power station was made in 1927.
Description
This scale model of Thomas Edison's Pearl Street power station was made in 1927. It demonstrates the internal arrangement of generating equipment and can be operated by means of a small electric motor in the base.
The first floor contained the boiler room and coal-handling equipment. Steam created by the boilers operated Porter-Allen horizontal steam engines on the second floor. The engines powered large Edison electrical generators nicknamed "Jumbo" after the famous elephant. Control and switching equipment were housed on the third and fourth floors.
The site for Edison's generating station had to satisfy both engineering and business needs. Because Edison used 100 volt direct current to power his new light bulbs, customers could be no further than ½ mile from the generator. But he needed a high profile location to promote the system. Edison chose a site in the heart of New York's financial district, 255 and 257 Pearl Street. On 4 September 1882, he threw a switch in the office of one of his main investors, J. Pierpont Morgan, and initiated service to the area.
A fire damaged the station extensively in 1890 but Edison and his men worked around the clock for 11 days to restore service. The station was taken out of service and dismantled in 1895, the building sold and later demolished. The New York Edison Company placed a commemorative plaque at the site in 1917.
Date made
1927
maker
Edison Company
ID Number
EM.309605
catalog number
309605
accession number
104795
Pointed-toe iron with black D-grip handle and removable flexible hose for use with Colt carbide-feed acetylene gas generator; rests on conforming "COLT" trivet or stand with three peg legs and four prongs to hold iron in place.
Description
Pointed-toe iron with black D-grip handle and removable flexible hose for use with Colt carbide-feed acetylene gas generator; rests on conforming "COLT" trivet or stand with three peg legs and four prongs to hold iron in place. Ignition hole at tip of deflector and screw-valve to regulate heat at its heel. Asbestos lining between deflector and body, which is lined with brass mesh and has semicircular vents at sides and an angled pipe with stop-cock extending from center back. Spiral-pattern, woven cloth-covered hose with spiral springs at both ends. New, unused condition.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1930
maker
J. B. Colt & Company
ID Number
1977.0935.10
catalog number
1977.0935.10
accession number
1977.0935
The group "Bike for a Better City" encouraged New York commuters and lawmakers to view bicycling as a means for everyday transportation.
Description
The group "Bike for a Better City" encouraged New York commuters and lawmakers to view bicycling as a means for everyday transportation. The organization, founded in 1970 by Barry Fishman and Harriet Green, called for the establishment of special bike lanes to make city biking safer.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Fishman, Barry
ID Number
2003.0014.0051
catalog number
2003.0014.0051
accession number
2003.0014

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