Lesson 29

Charles F. Brush and the Electric Arc Light

OBJECTIVES:

to familiarize students with the inventor Charles F. Brush and the invention of the arc light.

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS:

• Handout 1 - Fact Sheet on Charles F. Brush
• Handout 2 - "Another for Cleveland"
• Handout 3 - "The Electric Light"

TERMS:

dynamo	generator	arc light
gas lights	General Electric Co.	eugenics
Monumental Park	carbon points	electromagnets
armature

LESSON FOCUS:

1. Why was Charles F. Brush's invention of the arc light so important ?
   

TEACHING PROCEDURE:

1. Have the students read the fact sheet on Charles F. Brush and discuss why Brush was an important inventor of the late 1800s. Have the students read the two newspaper articles about Brush's successful demonstration of the arc light. Ask the students to compare the two articles. The Plain Dealer article is a very technical account of the lighting, while the Daily Herald' s article is an account which stresses how the arc light will change people's lives. Have the students make a list of the inventions which have changed their lives. Students might also make a list of inventions of the future that they think will change their lives.
2. Have the students research other inventions in the late 1800s which changed people's lives, such as the telephone, incandescent light, and the refrigerator. Have the students present reports to the class on these inventions.