“Burning the Midnight Oil”

A phrase from past incidents. Its an effort to unlock curiosity and paying tribute to those who brought light in our lives

This phrase means that you’re staying up late and working hard on something. Back before electricity, candlelight or lamp oil was used to light up a room. When you stayed up late for work, you were literally burning the oil at midnight.

Around 500 BC Thales of Miletus discovered that static electricity could be made by rubbing lightweight objects such as fur or feathers on amber.

1600 AD — The origins of the word ‘electricity’

The Latin word ‘electricus’, which translates to ‘of amber’ was used by the English physician, William Gilbert to describe the force exerted, when items are rubbed together. A few years later, English scientist Thomas Browne translated this into ‘electricity’ in his written investigations in the field.

1751 — Benjamin Franklin’s ‘Experiments and Observations on Electricity’

Most people credit Benjamin Franklin with ‘discovering’ electricity in 1752, which he did by realising that the sparks emitted from lightning strikes could generate power.

1765 — James Watt transforms the Industrial Revolution

James Watt transformed the Industrial Revolution with the invention of a modified Newcome engine, now known as the Watt steam engine. Machines no longer had to rely on the sometimes-temperamental wind, water or manpower — instead steam from boiling water could drive the pistons back and forth. Although Watt’s engine didn’t generate electricity, it created a foundation that would eventually lead to the steam turbine — still the basis of much of the globe’s electricity generation today.

There are many other historical ground breaking events but I am focusing on achievements that made this light glow in our homes.

1882 — The world’s first public power station opens

Holborn Viaduct power station, also known as the Edison Electric Light Station, burnt coal to drive a steam turbine and generate electricity. The power was used for Holborn’s newly electrified streetlighting.

1901 — Great Britain’s first industrial power station opens

Before Charles Mertz and William McLellan of Merz & McLellan built the Neptune Bank Power Station in Tyneside in 1901, individual factories were powered by private generators. By contrast, the Neptune Bank Power Station could supply reliable, cheap power to multiple factories that were connected through high-voltage transmission lines. This was the beginning of Britain’s national grid system.

Orignally on Medium