Sprague perfected the electric motor, electric streetcar, and electric elevator. In doing so, he changed the world. But he’s almost unknown among American inventors.
I recognize the trademark "Sprague" but I forget where I saw it. I suspect it was on the "condensers" (capacitors) I salvaged from discarded vacuum tube television sets in the early 1960's. Or maybe it was on wall mounted electric light switches. Does anyone remember?
Ok that wasn't so hard. “Robert C. Sprague (August 2, 1900 – September 27, 1991) was the son of Frank J. Sprague and Harriet Sprague. Sprague founded Sprague Electric (originally Sprague Specialties Company), Quincy, Massachusetts in 1926.” They made "condensers".
Agree. One of the reasons Sprague has never gotten as much attention as he deserves is that he wasn't a self promoter like Edison. Sprague was focused on the work and the challenges at hand. Edison was constantly courting public attention because he was always in need of money.
Thank you for an informative article, Robert. Most of the loads on the world's power grids are three-phase AC electric motors. The world's power grids work most efficiently and reliably when powered by large rotating machines. In California the "Big Dog" title goes to Diablo Canyon Power Plant which provides about 1/10 of the state's dispatchable (under human control) power from a pair of nuclear reactors occupying about a square mile. https://greennuke.substack.com/p/why-is-grid-inertia-important
Thanks Robert! I am still learning so much which I ought have learned about while studying engineering, in London, during the 1950s at Imperial College! 😂
I wish the kids* would take in more stuff like this, instead of lazily accepting the alarmists' headlines. I frequently recommend two books to them ('Power Hungry' by you, and 'The Bottomless Well' by Huber and Mills) -- and the ones who take that advice invariably are all "oooh, aaah, wow, thanks" afterwards. Keep doing your thing, Robert; you're good at it.
[* "kids": members of any generation younger than boomer.]
Nice article, and I learned something! Did make me pause at one point. "It takes far less cement, wood, and copper to provide living space for an apartment dweller in mid-town Manhattan than it does to house a suburbanite living in Sugar Land, Texas." Sincerely, Suburbanite from Sugar Land.
Good summary of Sprauge’s accomplishments in Richard Rhodes’ Energy: A Human History.
Fantastic! Thanks for reprinting!
I recognize the trademark "Sprague" but I forget where I saw it. I suspect it was on the "condensers" (capacitors) I salvaged from discarded vacuum tube television sets in the early 1960's. Or maybe it was on wall mounted electric light switches. Does anyone remember?
Ok that wasn't so hard. “Robert C. Sprague (August 2, 1900 – September 27, 1991) was the son of Frank J. Sprague and Harriet Sprague. Sprague founded Sprague Electric (originally Sprague Specialties Company), Quincy, Massachusetts in 1926.” They made "condensers".
Thank you for that! All Americans should be taught about this! It’s incredible 🗽🇺🇸
Agree. One of the reasons Sprague has never gotten as much attention as he deserves is that he wasn't a self promoter like Edison. Sprague was focused on the work and the challenges at hand. Edison was constantly courting public attention because he was always in need of money.
Thank you for an informative article, Robert. Most of the loads on the world's power grids are three-phase AC electric motors. The world's power grids work most efficiently and reliably when powered by large rotating machines. In California the "Big Dog" title goes to Diablo Canyon Power Plant which provides about 1/10 of the state's dispatchable (under human control) power from a pair of nuclear reactors occupying about a square mile. https://greennuke.substack.com/p/why-is-grid-inertia-important
Grids powered by solar, wind, and batteries are the least efficient ones. Your Tesla Powerwall (R) wastes considerable energy when it is powering all the motors in your home. You can get a sense of that inefficiency by feeling the warm exhaust air from the unit. https://energylibrary.tesla.com/docs/Public/EnergyStorage/Powerwall/3/InstallManual/BackupSwitch/en-us/GUID-7E161A9E-D054-498C-AF43-A1FB06005DEA.html
Buy the whole book- it’s worth a read!
Thanks Robert! I am still learning so much which I ought have learned about while studying engineering, in London, during the 1950s at Imperial College! 😂
So great! You touched on this…the early DC engines tended to lurch fwd when starting. Hence the Brooklyn “trolley” Dodgers ⚾️
Thank you for this history!! So interesting!
Now I know where the Sprague motors originated!
Thank you, Robert, that was excellent.
That's very kind. Thanks.
I wish the kids* would take in more stuff like this, instead of lazily accepting the alarmists' headlines. I frequently recommend two books to them ('Power Hungry' by you, and 'The Bottomless Well' by Huber and Mills) -- and the ones who take that advice invariably are all "oooh, aaah, wow, thanks" afterwards. Keep doing your thing, Robert; you're good at it.
[* "kids": members of any generation younger than boomer.]
Nice article, and I learned something! Did make me pause at one point. "It takes far less cement, wood, and copper to provide living space for an apartment dweller in mid-town Manhattan than it does to house a suburbanite living in Sugar Land, Texas." Sincerely, Suburbanite from Sugar Land.
Love me some Sugar Land!
This is excellent. Thank you!
Thank you.
Fantastic story
I am glad that you are giving Frank Sprague his fair due.
Excellent story.