He heads for New York – to the top floors of the Woolworth building, once the tallest building in the world. It’s being renovated, but how strong is it? To find out he decides to drop a 1982 Mini 1000 onto a plate of skyscraper glass.
At the start of the 20th Century there was no national grid, no agreed system of voltage and James discovers that in 1922 there were 22 different plugs used across the country. Until a Geordie electricial engineer, Charles Merz, came up with a master plan:
"The Merz mantra was unprecedented. One nation. One voltage. One plug."
But there’s one light bulb James wants to find out about – one that was invented in the 20th century:
"There’s one form of light that radiates come-hither hues to all those who are looking for some action… This light tempts you to the dark side! You won’t see a neon sign on a Methodist church or a lending library. Some unwritten convention says neon is used to advertise illicit pleasures that happen late into the night…"
He meets master neon-bender Steve, as he attempts to make a neon sign for his favourite restaurant, his local kebab shop.
First broadcast: Tuesday 10 Jul 2007 on BBC TWO
James May's 20th Century in more depth:
OU on the BBC: James May's 20th Century - About the series
Production team
Top Gear presenter James May takes a tour of the 20th century- trying out for himself some of the most surprising and influential technological advances... Read more : OU on the BBC: James May's 20th Century - About the series
OU on the BBC: James May's 20th Century - Blast Off
Production team
Like many small boys James May dreamt of becoming an astronaut. Even though he may not have realised his dream he sets off to find... Read more : OU on the BBC: James May's 20th Century - Blast Off
OU on the BBC: James May's 20th Century - Body Fantastic
Production team
James sets out to discover how far he can push his body and finds out about some of the most remarkable medical advances over the... Read more : OU on the BBC: James May's 20th Century - Body Fantastic
OU on the BBC: James May's 20th Century - Honey, I Shrunk The World
Production team
At the beginning of the 20th Century, long distance travel was for the military-minded, the uprooted and the plain rich, but the pioneers of flight... Read more : OU on the BBC: James May's 20th Century - Honey, I Shrunk The World
OU on the BBC: James May's 20th Century - Inventing The Teenager
Production team
In the 20th Century the teenager emerged as a separate species. But how? Was it the promise of sex? The power of pop? Or the... Read more : OU on the BBC: James May's 20th Century - Inventing The Teenager
OU on the BBC: James May's 20th Century - Take Cover
Production team
In 'Take Cover', James looks at how warfare drives ingenuity and gets to fly in the RAF’s latest supersonic jet. It’s an experience that he... Read more : OU on the BBC: James May's 20th Century - Take Cover
OU on the BBC: James May's 20th Century - John Naughton on The Social Life of Networks
OU
John Naughton delivered his inaugural lecture on The Social Life of Networks. Listen to the lecture. Read more : OU on the BBC: James May's 20th Century - John Naughton on The Social Life of Networks
![Polling Station signage [Image: kagey b under CC-BY-NC-ND licence]](/openlearn/files/ole/ole_images/places/general-urban-scenes/polling-station-sign/polling station sign_0_0.jpg)
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Comments on: "Big City, Bright Lights"
FthrJACK has started a thread discussing Big City, Bright Lights.
I always believed that Nikola Tesla invented the Neon light, not George Claude. Tesla was showing off arc lights using different gases 20 years before George Claude ever did. Tesla even shaped a tube into the word "Light" and formed other shapes with different coloured tubes. (Though Neon itself wasnt discovered until 1898)
Which one is the real inventor of the "neon" light??