City of innovation: New York City at the birth of electrical systems [History]

Abstract

Over time, certain cities became associated with a primary industry: Detroit with automobiles, Pittsburgh with steel, and Chicago with railroads. In the history of electrical manufacturing, the two primary cities that come to mind are Schenectady, NY, for General Electric and Pittsburgh, PA, for Westinghouse. Indeed, Schenectady was so linked to General Electric that a line in the 1956 movie Earth Versus the Flying Saucers referred to “the largest generator Schenectady makes,” as it was assumed that audiences would understand the reference. However, at the birth and early infancy of the industry, it was New York City—specifically, lower Manhattan—that was a center not only of pioneer installations but of the business and component manufacturing as well.