When They Hid the Fire: A History of Electricity and Invisible Energy in America

by Daniel French

Overview

When They Hid the Fire examines the American social perceptions of electricity as an energy technology that were adopted between the mid-nineteenth and early decades of the twentieth centuries. Arguing that both technical and cultural factors played a role, Daniel French shows how electricity became an invisible and abstract form of energy in American society. As technological advancements allowed for an increasing physical distance between power generation and power consumption, the commodity of electricity became consciously detached from the environmentally destructive fire and coal that produced it. This development, along with cultural forces, led the public to define electricity as mysterious, utopian, and an alternative to nearby fire-based energy sources. With its adoption occurring simultaneously with Progressivism and consumerism, electricity use was encouraged and seen as an integral part of improvement and modernity, leading Americans to culturally construct electricity as unlimited and environmentally inconsequential—a newfound "basic right" of life in the United States.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780822964254
Publisher:	University of Pittsburgh Press
Publication date:	01/31/2017
Series:	Intersections Series , #2
Edition description:	1
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Daniel French is an adjunct professor of history at the University of Toledo, where he teaches the history of business and technology. He is also an adjunct instructor of history at Jackson College in Jackson, Michigan.

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Introduction 3

1 English Roots, Utopia Found and Lost 20

2 The Energy Revolution and the Ascendancy of Coal 31

3 The Conundrum of Smoke and Visible Energy 46

4 Technology and Energy in the Abstract 60

5 Of Fluids, Fields, and Wizards 82

6 Energy, Utopia, and the American Mind 102

7 Turbines, Coal, and Convenience 122

Conclusion 142

Notes 159

References 201

Index 231

Editorial Reviews

Provides a concise and interesting summary of energy use in the United States. . . . French’s book covers a lot of ground quickly in an accessible way, this makes it a good candidate for an undergraduate or introductory reading on the history of American energy technologies.

Technology and Culture

French documents an important aspect of the historical change brought by electrification and, by connecting the history of science and technology with cultural history, makes an important contribution to scholarship on the history of electricity.

The Journal of American History Robert Lifset

This book provides a captivating account of the challenges faced by researchers employing innovative approaches to carry out environmental history research and outlines a number of refreshing methodological opportunities ahead.

Environment and History

When They Hid the Fire is an important historical study that helps us understand how the electric power system—a key element of modern society's infrastructure—became invisible. The unseen nature of electricity has had profound policy implications because consumers generally have no idea that power production often results in serious environmental degradation. This book forces readers to confront their history and to think about how their energy futures might need to change.

Virginia Tech University Richard F. Hirsh

"When They Hid the Fire is an important historical study that helps us understand how the electric power system—a key element of modern society’s infrastructure—became invisible.  The unseen nature of electricity has had profound policy implications because consumers generally have no idea that power production often results in serious environmental degradation.  This book forces readers to confront their history and to think about how their energy futures might need to change." —Richard F. Hirsh, Virginia Tech University


"This book provides a captivating account of the challenges faced by researchers employing innovative approaches to carry out environmental history research and outlines a number of refreshing methodological opportunities ahead." —Environment and History 


"French documents an important aspect of the historical change brought by electrification and, by connecting the history of science and technology with cultural history, makes an important contribution to scholarship on the history of electricity." —Robert Lifset, The Journal of American History

“Provides a concise and interesting summary of energy use in the United States. . . . French’s book covers a lot of ground quickly in an accessible way, this makes it a good candidate for an undergraduate or introductory reading on the history of American energy technologies.” —Technology and Culture
 

From the Publisher