On the latest episode of the podcast with readings so interesting they put you to sleep, our twelfth installment from the 1898 book “Philip’s Experiments, or, Physical Science at Home,” by John Trowbridge. 

This time, father and Philip listen to a lecture on electric lighting, specifically electric lights in houses. They hear that electric lighting is probably as safe as gas lighting, as long as the wires are properly separated and insulated. However, in most hotels and many houses the lights are too feeble and placed too high to be used for reading. Father tells about the time that Philip rescued their technologically illiterate neighbor by knowing how to pull fallen live wires out of a snowy road by using a dry fabric shawl as insulation. If you stay awake long enough, you’ll hear a discussion about whether electric doorbells are worthwhile, considering the maintenance required by the battery.

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