The principles of electrical engineering may not have changed much over the past century, but the demand for expertise in this field has skyrocketed alongside the exponential growth in electricity use. And, while we have come to depend on electricity to power more numerous and more complex appliances than even these early geniuses of the field could have imagined, the underlying systems are still largely the same. They pioneered systems that wove together electric generators and transmission lines with the circuits and batteries that powered early appliances like light bulbs, radios, and motors. Unlike other forms of structural and civil engineering whose development dates back to ancient times, the history of electrical engineering begins in the 19th century with the work of famous inventors such as Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, and George Westinghouse.

In the same way that a structural engineer ensures that buildings are constructed in a way that ensures safety, functionality, and durability, electrical engineers design the architecture of electrical systems to ensure they perform properly. Electrical engineering is a relatively recent field to emerge from the larger discipline of engineering, but it has become nearly as important to modern life as the structures of the buildings in which we live and work.

Electrical engineering sparkbox