Shining light on the utility industry's earliest foundings

Since the invention of the light bulb, man has worked to harness the power of electricity. It's hard to imagine our modern society without pulsing voltage available at the flip of the switch. Whether it's powering up your computer, lighting your school or heating up your kitchen oven; instant energy is as expected as the sun's rising each morning.

So let's take a journey back and shed light on how Edison's and Brush's inventions in 1879 led to the modern utility industry we know today. The following series about the history of the U.S. electric utility industry was developed by Jeff Hein, a former Western substation engineer, as part of his master's thesis research:

1879 to 1895: Shining light on electricity origins, early developments

1896 to 1928: Electric industry evolves—competition, consolidation, state regulation, tremendous growth

1927 to 1936: Electricity holding companies in control

1927 to 1969: Industry technology improves, creates regional interconnection

1970 to 1978: Social concerns, energy crisis aftermath forces new industry course

1978 to 1998: FERC calls utilities to deregulate, restructure

1999 to 2003: FERC rules adapt to industry restructuring, deregulation