When you look at rushing
waterfalls and rivers, you may not immediately think of electricity. But
hydroelectric (water-powered) power plants are responsible for lighting many of
our homes and neighborhoods. On September 30, 1882, the world's first hydroelectric
power plant began operation on the Fox River in Appleton, Wisconsin. The plant,
later named the Appleton Edison Light Company, was initiated by Appleton paper
manufacturer H.J. Rogers, who had been inspired by Thomas Edison's plans for an
electricity-producing station in New York.
Unlike Edison's New York
plant which used steam power to drive its generators, the Appleton plant used
the natural energy of the Fox River. When the plant opened, it produced enough
electricity to light Rogers's home, the plant itself, and a nearby building.
Hydroelectric power plants of today generate a lot more electricity. By the
early 20th century, these plants produced a significant portion of the
country's electric energy. The cheap electricity provided by the plants spurred
industrial growth in many regions of the country. To get even more power out of
the flowing water, the government started building dams.
In 1933, the U.S. government
established the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), which introduced
hydroelectric power plants to the South's troubled Tennessee River Valley. The
TVA built dams, managed flood control and soil conservation programs, and more.
It greatly boosted the region's economy. And this development happened in other
places as well. Soon, people across the country were enjoying electricity in
homes, schools, and offices, reading by electric lamp instead of candlelight or
kerosene. New electricity-powered technologies entered American homes,
including electric refrigerators and stoves, radios, televisions, and can
openers. Today, people take electricity for granted, not able to imagine life
without it. (http://www.americaslibrary.gov/)