Light-bulb, filament, carbon, 100v E.S. cap, Westinghouse. Stopper lamp. 16 candle power.

Today, electrifying all our appliances and machines might seem a huge challenge. Yet in 1893 a bold vision of an electrically lit future became a reality in front of thousands of visitors and the world’s press.

At the touch of a button on 1 May 1893, the Chicago World’s Fair was spectacularly lit up by hundreds of thousands of Westinghouse electric lamps like this one, replacing traditional gaslight. Examples of past energy transitions remind us that major change is possible.