Electrifyingly Interesting
Today, we are surrounded by electricity, constantly working without question or failure. Yet this current is delicately interwoven into our daily lives, and if not properly guided, it can damage our devices or even take a life under the right voltage and conditions. Even something as small as 9 volts, traveling through the right path in the human body, can be dangerous.
Before the modern era, even a U.S. president, Benjamin Harrison, was wary of the electric light bulb. To be fair, this was 1889—just before the creation of the National Electrical Code (NEC) in 1897. Norse mythology even gave this power a name: Thor, the “god of thunder.” We have all been moved by its presence, both figuratively and literally.
Much like the water canals of ancient Rome, we have built our own channels—large wooden poles carrying streams of electricity through our day-to-day lives.
Similar to when we first discovered fire, the inventions that followed were shaped by this fascinating force. Visionaries such as Nikola Tesla were driven by a passion to understand and harness electricity. He went on to develop the alternating current system and contributed to many innovations, including transformers and generators. He loved electricity so deeply that some believed it drove him to insanity; however, I believe he was simply misunderstood.
The man once said:
“I am trying to awaken the energy contained in the air. These are the main sources of energy. What is considered empty space is just a manifestation of matter that is not awakened.”
— Nikola Tesla
Others, like Thomas Edison, pursued electricity with equal intensity—though not always with the same ethics. Edison was even willing to take ideas from others, believing he could better harness the true beauty of electricity. One such example was Tesla’s AC motor.
Today, humanity and electricity are inseparable. As I write this on my Mac computer, every keystroke sends a signal—an electrical pulse traveling through circuits, processing information instantly to display the words you are now reading. Not long ago, we relied on typewriters, and before that, scribes. We have come a long way, but at its core, we are still doing the same thing: sharing information. And that is what matters most.
As humanity expands and our reliance on electricity grows, so does our responsibility. Its cause and effect will ultimately be of our own making. We cannot blame anyone but ourselves. Maybe we were never meant to harness the power of Thor and his noble hammer.