Michael Faraday's discovery of electromagnetic induction in 1831 showed how mechanical motion could generate electric current, and the practical dynamo developed in the 1860s made large-scale generation possible. From 1882, central generating stations such as Edison's Pearl Street plant in New York and the Holborn station in London began distributing electricity over networks to supply lighting and power on demand. Over the following decades grids extended across cities and then regions. Electric power moved from a novelty to a basic urban utility.
Electric lighting, lifts, trams and distribution grids reshaped the city, enabling the tall building, a vibrant night-time economy, electric public transit and the suburban spread that reliable networked power allowed.
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