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.
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Edison "Stopper" lamp
- Description (Brief)
- Thomas Edison and his team at Menlo Park, NJ, demonstrated a commercially-practical incandescent lighting system in December 1879. However, their work did not stop there and they continued to improve and refine the system. In March 1881, Edison received US Patent #239,373 for this variation on his bamboo-filament light bulb. This lamp could be disassembled to replace a burned-out filament. Edison never put this design into production.
- Date made
- 1881
- maker
- Edison, Thomas Alva
- ID Number
- EM.252624
- catalog number
- 252624
- accession number
- 49064
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Rigged Model, Sidewheel Cotton Packet J.M. White
- Description
- The Mississippi River sidewheel steamboat J.M. White was built at Jeffersonville, Ind., in 1878 for the Greenville and New Orleans Packet Company. Measuring 321’ long and 91’ in beam across the paddlebox guards, the White only sat 10’-6” deep in the water when fully laden. The steamboat was designed for Mississippi River packet service between New Orleans, La., and Greenville, Miss.
- The White was one of the largest, most expensive, luxurious, and most powerful river steamers ever built, with 2,800 horsepower and a capacity of 250 first-class passengers and 10,000 bales of cotton. Named after famous riverboat captain J. M. White (1823–1880), the “supreme triumph in cotton boat architecture” was a masterpiece of the gaudy, glamorous style known as “steamboat Gothic.” It had multiple bridal chambers; stained glass skylights and windows; rare wood veneers and gilded finishes; seven gilded “Egyptian-style” chandeliers; a sterling silver Tiffany water cooler in the 250’-long main cabin; monogrammed flatware and china; and a full concert grand piano.
- The White spent most of its eight-year career in service on the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Vicksburg, Miss. Despite its economy of size, the White’s high initial $220,000 cost, a spotty economy, and the rapidly expanding railroad network made the steamboat unprofitable. It caught fire, blew up, and burned to the waterline at a Louisiana landing in December 1886, killing several aboard.
- Date made
- 1974
- built
- 1878
- used date
- late 19th century
- ID Number
- TR.334847
- catalog number
- 334847
- accession number
- 315419
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Fixture for Edison light bulb
- Date made
- 1881
- ID Number
- EM.180939
- catalog number
- 180939
- accession number
- 24315
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Light switch for Edison installation
- Date made
- 1881
- ID Number
- EM.180942
- catalog number
- 180942
- accession number
- 24315
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Edison fuse block and fuse
- Date made
- 1881
- maker
- Edison Electric Co.
- ID Number
- EM.180943
- catalog number
- 180943
- accession number
- 24315
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Switch for Edison dynamo
- Date made
- 1881
- maker
- Edison Electric Co.
- ID Number
- EM.180944
- catalog number
- 180944
- accession number
- 24315
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Electrically Welded Specimen, Bicycle Top Tubing
- Description
- This bicycle’s welded steel top tube was created using Elihu Thomson’s electric welding apparatus (see object number MC*181724). Welding samples demonstrated potential industrial applications of electric welding, and illustrations of these samples were published in journals, brochures, and advertisements. Elihu Thomson’s invention of electric welding in 1885 resulted in numerous applications including the manufacture of automobile parts, tools, screws, ball bearings, and wire lines. Thomson’s welding apparatus passed an electric current through two pieces of metal pressed together. Resistance to the current at the contact point between the metal pieces created heat and welded the metals together.
- Scientist and inventor Elihu Thomson (1853-1937) played a prominent role in the industrialization and electrification of America with over 700 patents in his name. His inventions and patents helped change the nature of industry in the United States and included the “uniflow” steam engine, automobile muffler, producing fused quartz, stereoscopic x-ray pictures, electric arc lamps, lightning arrestors, and perhaps most notably—the process of electrical welding. Thomson and partner Edwin Houston established the Thomson-Houston Electric Company in 1883. In 1892 Thomson-Houston merged with the Edison Electric Company to form General Electric.
- date made
- 1886
- maker
- Thomson, Elihu
- ID Number
- EM.181672
- catalog number
- 181672
- accession number
- 33015
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Electrically Welded Specimen, Bicycle Rear Forks
- Description
- This bicycle’s welded steel rear fork was created using Elihu Thomson’s electric welding apparatus (see object number MC*181724). Welding samples demonstrated the potential industrial applications of electric welding, and illustrations of these samples were published in journals, brochures, and advertisements. Elihu Thomson’s invention of electric welding in 1885 resulted in numerous industrial applications including the manufacture of automobile parts, tools, screws, ball bearings, and wire lines. Thomson’s welding apparatus pressed two pieces of metal together while an electric current ran through the metal. Resistance to the current at the contact point between the metal pieces created heat and welded the metals together.
- Scientist and inventor Elihu Thomson (1853-1937) played a prominent role in the industrialization and electrification of America with over 700 patents in his name. His inventions and patents helped change the nature of industry in the United States and included the “uniflow” steam engine, automobile muffler, producing fused quartz, stereoscopic x-ray pictures, electric arc lamps, lightning arrestors, and perhaps most notably—the process of electrical welding. Thomson and partner Edwin Houston established a variety of companies to manage his industrial interests. In 1892, his Thomson-Houston Electric Company merged with the Edison Electric Company to form General Electric.
- date made
- 1886
- maker
- Thomson, Elihu
- ID Number
- EM.181675
- catalog number
- 181675
- accession number
- 33015
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Electrically Welded Specimen, Bicycle Crank Hanger
- Description
- This bicycle’s welded steel crank hanger was created using Elihu Thomson’s electric welding apparatus (see object number MC*181724). Welding samples demonstrated the potential industrial applications of electric welding, and illustrations of these samples were published in journals, brochures, and advertisements. Elihu Thomson’s invention of electric welding in 1885 resulted in numerous industrial applications including the manufacture of automobile parts, tools, screws, ball bearings, and wire lines. Thomson’s welding apparatus pressed two pieces of metal together while an electric current ran through the metal. Resistance to the current at the contact point between the metal pieces created heat and welded the metals together.
- Scientist and inventor Elihu Thomson (1853-1937) played a prominent role in the industrialization and electrification of America with over 700 patents in his name. His inventions and patents helped change the nature of industry in the United States and included the “uniflow” steam engine, automobile muffler, producing fused quartz, stereoscopic x-ray pictures, electric arc lamps, lightning arrestors, and perhaps most notably—the process of electrical welding. Thomson and partner Edwin Houston established a variety of companies to manage his industrial interests. In 1892, his Thomson-Houston Electric Company merged with the Edison Electric Company to form General Electric.
- date made
- 1886
- maker
- Thomson, Elihu
- ID Number
- EM.181676
- catalog number
- 181676
- accession number
- 33015
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Electrically Welded Specimen, Bicycle Crank Hanger
- Description
- This bicycle’s welded steel crank hanger was created using Elihu Thomson’s electric welding apparatus (see object number MC*181724). Welding samples demonstrated the potential industrial applications of electric welding, and illustrations of these samples were published in journals, brochures, and advertisements. Elihu Thomson’s invention of electric welding in 1885 resulted in numerous industrial applications including the manufacture of automobile parts, tools, screws, ball bearings, and wire lines. Thomson’s welding apparatus pressed two pieces of metal together while an electric current ran through the metal. Resistance to the current at the contact point between the metal pieces created heat and welded the metals together.
- Scientist and inventor Elihu Thomson (1853-1937) played a prominent role in the industrialization and electrification of America with over 700 patents in his name. His inventions and patents helped change the nature of industry in the United States and included the “uniflow” steam engine, automobile muffler, producing fused quartz, stereoscopic x-ray pictures, electric arc lamps, lightning arrestors, and perhaps most notably—the process of electrical welding. Thomson and partner Edwin Houston established a variety of companies to manage his industrial interests. In 1892, his Thomson-Houston Electric Company merged with the Edison Electric Company to form General Electric.
- date made
- 1886
- maker
- Thomson, Elihu
- ID Number
- EM.181677
- catalog number
- 181677
- accession number
- 33015
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Rotary electric light switch
- Date made
- 1882
- date made
- 1887
- associated person
- Edison, Thomas Alva
- maker
- Bergmann & Co.
- ID Number
- EM.181754
- catalog number
- 181754
- accession number
- 33261
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Edison chemical-type electric meter
- Date made
- ca1882
- ca 1882
- associated person
- Edison, Thomas Alva
- maker
- Edison Electric Co.
- ID Number
- EM.262476
- catalog number
- 262476
- accession number
- 52260
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Plane for making Edison bamboo filaments
- Description
- Inventing a new technical device not only involves creating the device itself, but often entails creating special tools to produce the device or the component pieces of the device. Thomas Edison conducted experiments on hundreds of different types of natural fibers in his search for a material that would serve as a light bulb filament.
- Date made
- 1880
- associated user
- unknown
- maker
- Edison, Thomas Alva
- S. R. Wells & Co.
- ID Number
- EM.314259
- catalog number
- 314259
- accession number
- 198085
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Edison underground electrical junction box
- Date made
- 1885
- ID Number
- EM.314917
- catalog number
- 314917
- accession number
- 212336
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Edison underground power conductor
- Date made
- 1885
- maker
- Edison, Thomas Alva
- ID Number
- EM.314919
- catalog number
- 314919
- accession number
- 212336
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Electric Motor for Alternating Current
- Description (Brief)
- An electric motor was one of the critical components needed to make an electrical power system based on alternating current. Electrical inventor Nikola Tesla developed a revolutionary motor based on electromagnetic induction that featured rotating magnetic fields to drive the central armature. Engineers working for George Westinghouse refined Tesla’s concept and introduced this model A two-phase motor in 1888. The armature core is of the Siemens drum-type, a design intended to minimize the number of wire windings.
- Westinghouse 2-phase induction motor marked "M-68". Metal plate reads: " The Westinghouse Electric Co. Pittsburgh, 271". Case has radial fins for heat dissipation. Connection is made through two binding posts on the base. An electrodynamic rotation motor designed by Nikola Tesla, without commutator or contact brushes. A series of field magnets are built of laminated sheet iron and wound with two sets of coils. Two alternating currents are sent through the field at the same time, one a 1/4 phase behind the other. References: Electrical World, vol. 12, 27 October 1888, pages 221-223. Westinghouse Engineer, January 1950, page 72.
- date made
- 1888
- maker
- Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Co.
- ID Number
- EM.315975
- accession number
- 223204
- catalog number
- 315975
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Voltage Transformer
- Description (Brief)
- A transformer was one of the critical components needed to make an electrical power system based on alternating current. Transformers raise and lower the electrical voltage (or potential) or the current, depending on the design. Electrical inventors Lucien Gaulard and John Gibbs introduced a practical design in Europe in 1882. George Westinghouse licensed their design and William Stanley, an engineer working in his company, added refinements that improved the device. This potential transformer has two coils of wire–one coil with a few turns of thick wire, the other with many turns of thin wire. A current passing through one (the primary coil) induces a current in the other (the secondary coil). The voltage can be raised or lowered depending on which coil serves as primary.
- date made
- ca 1889
- maker
- Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Co.
- ID Number
- EM.318584
- catalog number
- 318584
- accession number
- 232729
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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"New Type Edison" incandescent lamp
- Description (Brief)
- Invention rarely stops when the inventor introduces a new device. Thomas A. Edison and his team worked to improve his electric lighting system for some years after the initial introduction in 1880. This lamp shows changes made after about ten years of labor aimed at lowering costs and increasing production. The simplified base required little material; the diameter and thread-pitch are still used today. The filament was changed from bamboo to a treated cellulose, based on an invention by English chemist Joseph Swan. The bulb was probably free blown by Corning Glass Works, but would soon be replaced by a bulb made by semi-skilled laborers blowing glass into iron molds. The cost had dropped from about $1.00 per lamp to less than 30¢.
- date made
- ca 1886
- ca 1889
- maker
- Edison Lamp Company
- ID Number
- EM.318685
- catalog number
- 318685
- accession number
- 232729
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Edison electric power switch
- Date made
- c1882
- ca 1882
- ID Number
- EM.318717
- catalog number
- 318717
- accession number
- 232729
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Display of Edison experimental light bulb filament
- Date made
- 1881
- maker
- Hammer, William J.
- Edison, Thomas Alva
- ID Number
- EM.320526
- catalog number
- 320526
- accession number
- 241402
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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