Electrical Engineering Hall of Fame: Charles F. Brush

In 1913, the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) selected the inventor-entrepreneur Charles F. Brush as the fifth recipient of the Edison Medal. He was cited for his contribution to "the invention and development of the series arc lighting systems." The company he founded emerged as a leader in the field of outdoor lighting during the 1880s and introduced many urban residents to well-lighted streets for the first time. New York City's famous "Great White Way" was illuminated by Brush's arc lights and became a pattern for other cities and even small towns in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These local white ways came to symbolize modernization and progress at the beginning of the electrical age.