In 1889, the company that Thomas A. Edison founded joined with two others to form what would become one of the most storied conglomerates in the United States. Called Edison General Electric, the company mirrored the growth of industrial America from the steam age to the age of electricity and beyond.
During World War II, General Electric supplied the United States military with executives and equipment manufacturing. In the postwar boom, G.E. sold appliances that helped free America’s housewives from the kitchen. And in the 1980s, Jack Welch, then the chief executive, expanded the company into media and Wall Street. Throughout, G.E. amassed a library of patents. Below are a few of the company’s notable products and periods.
1879
Incandescent Electric Lamp
Working at his laboratory in Menlo Park, N.J., Mr. Edison created an incandescent light bulb that burned for more than 40 hours.
In 1908, William Coolidge, a researcher for the company, was able to draw tungsten into wires thinner than human hair. The filaments led to more durable light bulbs that could be used in cars and trains.
Sixty years later, G.E. created new fluorescent lamps, which came with white colored bulbs. In 2010, the company released LED bulbs that required 77 percent less energy and would last for 22 years.
1882
The Age of Electric Power
The nation’s first commercial power station generated electricity for 59 customers in Manhattan. Crowds gathered at Sweet’s Restaurant and The New York Times to watch as the current from Edison Electric Company on Pearl Street powered incandescent electric lamps. To win over skeptics, the electricity was free for the first three months.
1893
Giant Electric Locomotive
The company developed a 30-ton electric locomotive that could reach 30 miles per hour without the use of steam power. The locomotive was featured at the Chicago Exposition.
1896
X-Ray Machine
One year after X-rays were first discovered, a founder of the modern electric age, Elihu Thomson, created an X-ray tube. There was such anxiety around the dangers the rays might pose that Mr. Thomson exposed two of his fingers to an X-ray tube to prove that they were not harmless. His fingers were scarred and remained stiff for the rest of his life.
1906
Voice Radio Broadcast
A high-frequency alternator created by Ernst F. W. Alexanderson, a Swedish-born engineer, made possible the first voice radio broadcast. Before that time, radio had been operated as a series of dots and dashes transmitted by telegraph. On Christmas Eve,
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