On December 31, 1879, Thomas Edison held the first public demonstration of his practical incandescent electric lamp in Menlo Park, New Jersey. Visitors and reporters saw a system of lamps lighting streets and buildings around his laboratory, which helped show that electric light could work on a large scale. The demonstration built on months of experimentation with filaments, vacuum bulbs, and power distribution. It impressed investors and the public, strengthening support for electrification projects.
Over the next years, Edison and competing inventors developed power stations and wiring systems to bring electric light to American cities. The demonstration is often treated as a landmark moment in the country’s shift from gas and oil lighting to electric illumination.
