Gregory's Server
@zdl @Npars01 @ian It was driven by a whole lot of factors. Not the least of which was making sure people could do basic things like pump out floodwaters, or pump water to a home, or run a dairy farm with milking machines, or listen to the radio.
It allowed manufacturing to take advantage of low pay in rural places. Textiles in the southern US were assisted a lot by rural electrification. Again, it was driven more by potential industry gains than any sort of social revolution.
Depression Era.
@YakyuNightOwl @Npars01 @ian The need to pump out flood waters is a technological need solved socially, or a social need solved technologically?
I know in this world where people make stupid shit like Bitcoin leads one to believe that technology is made in search of a problem to solve with it, but really, technology is made in response to social needs. Only the computer world is filled with people foolish enough to think otherwise.