Before lightbulbs existed city streets were illuminated by giant electric arc lamps

In the late 1870s, inventor Charles Brush brought a new kind of light to the dark streets of America. His breakthrough arc lamp used electro-mechanically regulated carbon electrodes to produce a staggering 4,000 candlepower. These lights were so powerful that they debuted on city balconies and quickly scaled to illuminate major hubs like New York and San Francisco.