Harnessing the Power of Niagara Falls
Delivered in Buffalo, New York, on January 12, 1897, celebrating the inauguration of the world's first industrial hydroelectric alternating current (AC) power plant.
Full Transcript
We have many a monument of past ages; we have the palaces and pyramids, the temples and the cathedrals, the triumphs of art, of science and industry; but the hydroelectric power plant at Niagara is a monument worthy of our scientific age.
It marks the subjugation of natural forces to the service of man, the price of human struggle, the triumph of mind over matter.
When I first conceived the rotating magnetic field and the alternating current motor system, many doubted that high-voltage power could be transmitted over vast distances without ruinous loss.
Today, electrical power generated by the rushing waters of Niagara flows silently through thin wires to illuminate homes and drive factories miles away.
Ere many generations pass, our machinery will be driven by a power obtainable at any point of the universe. This is the triumph of science in service of human happiness.
Defining Key Excerpts
"We have many a monument of past ages; we have the palaces and pyramids, the temples and the cathedrals; but the hydroelectric power plant at Niagara is a monument worthy of our scientific age."
"Ere many generations pass, our machinery will be driven by a power obtainable at any point of the universe."
Bring this Speech to your Wall
Get this historic speech professionally typeset, printed on structured canvas, and delivered in a solid wood frame.