Noble gases are frequently used in tubes for many purposes, from lighting to switching. Pure noble gases are employed in switching tubes. Noble-gas-filled thyratrons have better electrical parameters than mercury-based ones.
The first electric motor able to turn machinery was built by William Sturgeon in 1832. In 1821, Michael Faraday built a machine that made a piece of metal move due to the flow of electricity. Although the amount of motion was small, this was the first published design of an electric motor. All subsequent developments in the use of electricity to make motors work came out of this invention. The first electric motor able to turn machinery was built by William Sturgeon in 1832.
The first electric streetcar was invented by Frank Sprague, an electrical engineer who worked for Thomas Edison. Sprague installed the first large-scale electric streetcar system in Richmond, Virginia in 1888.