Complementing the Business History Conference held at Case this year with a June 1 evening reception in the Kelvin Smith Library, the KSL main floor exhibit cases feature Cleveland pioneering inventor, Charles F. Brush.
Stop by and see the exhibit cases to view photos of the Brush mansion, family, and illustrations of the patents of this aclaimed inventor. The Brush arc light was invented in Cleveland and was implemented throughout the U.S. and abroad in the 1800s. The Brush arc light preceded the Edison incandescent light, and supplied bright commercial light for public spaces. Thousands witnessed the lighting of arc lamps around Public Square in Cleveland on April 29, 1879. A newspaper in the exhibit cases features a later anniversary of the Cleveland street lighting event that made history. His dynamo eventually fostered the electric power generating industry, providing the economy and efficiency necessary to make the arc light a successful commercial venture.
KSL's Special Collections department has a Charles Francis Brush collection of writings, ledgers, and much more in their History of Science and Technology collection. Contact the KSL Special Collections staff for additional information.
