bphgravity
Senior Member
- Location
- Florida
Over the weekend, I was able to watch a program on C-Span on the history of the US Capitol Building. The entire documentary is well done, however there were a few points of interest that I found really fascinating.
In the Rotunda ceiling, ?The Apotheosis of Washington" painting has two groups of figures with historical electrical significance. In the group identified as "Science", Minerva, goddess of wisdom and the arts of civilization points to an electric crank generator creating power stored in batteries (Leyden Jars), while inventors Benjamin Franklin, Samuel F. B. Morse, and Robert Fulton watch.
In the group "Marine", Neptune and Venus are shown helping lay the transatlantic cable. The group "Mechanics" shows a steam engine.
There are at least two portraits of Morse in the Capitol Building including a painting made by Morse in 1822 and a plaque recognizing the centennial of the telegraph.
Also according to the program, Edison himself installed the first lighting system in the Capitol Building in 1885 and then a full electrical system in the early 1900's by filling up the entire basement area with generators. I cannot find any documentation confirming this in either the Edison Paper's or his definitive biography.
The program clearly indicated the development of electricity in the late 19th century was one of the most significant events in American History. Here's a link to the program's website:
http://209.16.222.220/capitolhistory/
In the Rotunda ceiling, ?The Apotheosis of Washington" painting has two groups of figures with historical electrical significance. In the group identified as "Science", Minerva, goddess of wisdom and the arts of civilization points to an electric crank generator creating power stored in batteries (Leyden Jars), while inventors Benjamin Franklin, Samuel F. B. Morse, and Robert Fulton watch.
In the group "Marine", Neptune and Venus are shown helping lay the transatlantic cable. The group "Mechanics" shows a steam engine.
There are at least two portraits of Morse in the Capitol Building including a painting made by Morse in 1822 and a plaque recognizing the centennial of the telegraph.
Also according to the program, Edison himself installed the first lighting system in the Capitol Building in 1885 and then a full electrical system in the early 1900's by filling up the entire basement area with generators. I cannot find any documentation confirming this in either the Edison Paper's or his definitive biography.
The program clearly indicated the development of electricity in the late 19th century was one of the most significant events in American History. Here's a link to the program's website:
http://209.16.222.220/capitolhistory/
