What Edison’s Coal Power Plant Can Teach Us About Failure
Edison was one of the most persistent men of all time
There was a time in London when people went out of their way to stroll through the Holborn Viaduct district. They would walk blocks off of their normal beaten path to lay eyes upon the fantastical new lights that were blazing over the streets. Electricity. It was like magic to some. They marveled at the quality of the lights, commented on the difference between gas and power, and stared in wonder at the arcs of electricity that were used to make the large pools of light. This was Thomas Edison’s vision for electric power and the goal for the spread of his new light bulbs.
Thomas Edison was a pioneer in electric technology. His most famous contribution was his work on the incandescent light bulb but his work also included power currents and electricity generation. As revered as Edison is today for his accomplishments, he failed a lot. Nearly every one of his successes only came after months or even years of repeated failure.
His first electric power station was no different.
Few people know that Edison was the first person to open a public power station. In the years after the distribution of the successful incandescent light bulb, Edison realized that for his invention to thrive it…
