In the same year, Thomas Edison died and the Empire State Building was inaugurated
The lightbulb’s invention changed the world forever, and we have Thomas Edison to thank for it. That said, it took quite a while for cities to put a power grid together and ensure that all homes had access to electricity.
By the time Edison died in 1931, many areas of New York had electrical power. The clearest example of the city’s predilection for glittering lights is the Empire State Building, which was also inaugurated in 1931 and employed thousands of lightbulbs.