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The Electrical Grid : Throughline Today, electricity in the U.S. is a utility we notice only when it's suddenly unavailable. But over a hundred years ago, electricity in the homes of every American was a wild idea and the subject of a bitter fight over who would power, and profit from, the national grid. This week, the battle that electrified our world and the extreme measures that were taken to get there.

Throughline

The Electrical Grid

The Electrical Grid

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  • The sun sets over the dark Manhattan skyline on August 14, 2003. A power outage affected large parts of the northeastern United States and Canada.
    The sun sets over the dark Manhattan skyline on August 14, 2003. A power outage affected large parts of the northeastern United States and Canada.
    Robert Giroux/Getty Images
  • Thomas Edison, with his dynamo for producing electricity. In 1882, in Lower Manhattan, Edison opened the first commercial power station in the U.S. which operated on the DC (direct current) system.
    Thomas Edison, with his dynamo for producing electricity. In 1882, in Lower Manhattan, Edison opened the first commercial power station in the U.S. which operated on the DC (direct current) system.
    Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images
  • Inventor and engineer Nikola Tesla (1856 - 1943), 1890.
    Inventor and engineer Nikola Tesla (1856 - 1943), 1890.
    Donaldson Collection/Getty Images

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Today, electricity in the U.S. is a utility we notice only when it's suddenly unavailable. But over a hundred years ago, electricity in the homes of every American was a wild idea and the subject of a bitter fight over who would power, and profit from, the national grid. This week, the battle that electrified our world and the extreme measures that were taken to get there.

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