Pearl Street Station

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/pearl-street-station

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the location?255–257 Pearl Street, Financial District, Manhattan, New York City
2. What is the year opened?1882
3. What was Pearl Street Station and why was it special?It was Thomas Edison's first commercial power plant in the United States, built in 1882 in Manhattan. It was the first big plant to give electricity to many people in a city.
4. How did Pearl Street Station make light for the city?Steam engines turned dynamos into electricity, which was sent through underground wires. This power lit about 1,100 incandescent light bulbs.

Direct Current (DC): Electrical current that flows in only one direction, used in early power systems.
Incandescent Light Bulb: An electric light that produces light by heating a wire filament until it glows.
Public Utility: A service (like electricity or water) that is provided to the public and is often regulated.
Central Power Plant: A facility that generates electricity for a wide geographical area from a single location.