1882 - September 4 - Thomas Edison flips the switch to the first commercial electrical power plant in history, lighting one square mile of lower Manhattan. This is considered by many as the day that began the electrical age.

On September 4, 1882, Thomas Edison ushered in a new era by flipping the switch to activate the first commercial electrical power plant in history. Located in lower Manhattan, New York, this momentous event illuminated one square mile of the bustling cityscape, marking the dawn of the electrical age. Edison's plant, known as the Pearl Street Station, was a pioneering endeavor that demonstrated the feasibility and practicality of supplying electricity to urban areas for lighting and other purposes.