Science: Electricity

As soon as the Chemical Exposition (see above) closed its doors and dismantled its display, into the “palace” sped men with hammers, saws, paints, brushes, tweezers, nippers, screwdrivers, wire and tapes, to prepare new wonders for the public eye—the 18th annual Electrical and Industrial Exposition. Inklings of what was in store were issued: a device enabling housewives to cook and bake with the heat from ordinary electric light bulbs; 40 different electric refrigerators; 20 new electric household tools; an endless variety of washing, ironing, cleaning machines; an all-electric barber shop including an electrically-driven safety razor; a “bloodless” or “radio” knife for surgeons; photograph-transmitting radios—in all, devices numbering over 20,000, developed since Benjamin Franklin (fabulously) drew current from the heavens on a kite string.