The first electric power company in America, and perhaps the world, was formed on this date in 1879 in San Francisco. This was nearly four months before Thomas Edison successfully tested his practical incandescent light bulb, but there was no lack of customers, as the power supplied by the California Electric Light Company illuminated some three dozen arc lamps in downtown hotels and businesses. This electric supplier was the predecessor to the current Pacific Gas and Electric company. Today in the U.S., there are over 7,500 electric power distribution establishments, employing some 365,000 people. Utilities in general employ more than 650,000 workers and have annual revenues of about $520 billion. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at www.census.gov