#917 Electricity was invented by Ben Franklin. Or was it?

Electricity as we know it has been around since the late 19th century and we have come to rely heavily upon its use. If we ever lost the ability to produce electricity on our planet, the world as we know it would cease to exist. We have all seen the zombie apocalypse movies or the pending environmental disaster sequences played over and over again on TV, and although partly fictional, the one mainstay in all of them is the loss of electricity and the difficulties associated with that.

Power outages are more common that many people think and for those living in hurricane or tornado zones, it is a frequent occurrence. Where I live Hoover Dam is the main source of power for a city of two million residence.

The other day I walked into my office, flipped the light switch and nothing happened. So of course I do what the average sane person would do- I flip the switch on and off a couple of times with the same result. Am I the only one who does that? (Wait. what did the say the definition of insanity is?) A moment of panic filled my core. What was I going to do? Why is the power out? What does this mean? Are we safe? Where is my shotgun? Where is Ali the pitbull? Then I remembered… The old light bulb had burnt out and I had not put in the new CFL bulb yet. Phew! Safety!

We all know what to do when the power goes out; we run for the flashlights and make sure no one opens the refrigerator. But what about when power comes back on? What is the first thing you do?

For me, it’s a big sigh of relief and a huge smile from ear to ear! It’s like the world is new again and there is hope. Obviously, it’s not all that serious, but because we rely so heavily on electricity, when it does come back, we rejoice as if seeing an old friend after many years of lost contact.

One of the biggest reasons I smile is that hum of the lights, refrigerator and television coming back on. I hear the fans on my computer, the air conditioning kicking back on and the constant beeping of the microwave until I reset the time (I’m still not sure how I ended up with a beeping microwave, most of them just flash the incorrect time!).

Give me back my electricity and I am a happy person. I can work again, grab a cold beverage from the fridge and relax in air conditioned comfort. Electricity has been hailed as one of the greatest inventions in human history; I believe it is THE greatest invention of all time and something that brings a smile to my face every time I see it in use. From the neon lights of the Vegas strip, to the JumboTron at Super Bowl, electricity is remarkable, incredible and, well, electric!

Do you think electricity is the best invention of all time or is there something better? Leave your comments here. Would love to here from you.

If you are looking for a way to save some electricity, consider reading the post about CFL bulbs.