General Electric's chief engineer, German immigrant Charles P. Steinmetz, spurred the creation of America's first major industrial research lab. Begun in December, 1900, in a carriage house behind Steinmetz's rooming house in Schenectady, N.Y., it soon moved to bigger quarters. Within 15 years, the staff of researchers had swelled to 300 and was churning out innovations in X-ray equipment, radio, lighting, and more. Officials from DuPont, General Motors, and Eastman Kodak sought out lab director Willis Whitney for advice on how to organize research. In the 1930s, the lab's work was featured in radio broadcasts and traveling shows, and it became known as the House of Magic. Below, Steinmetz and two colleagues conduct an electrical experiment in 1921.

Related Links
GE Corporate Research & Development: History

Biography.com: Charles Steinmetz

Compton's: Charles Steinmetz

Eric Weisstein's Treasure Troves of Science: Charles Steinmetz

Electrochemical Society: Willis R. Whitney

BOOK EXCERPT: "The Productive Edge: How U.S. Industries Are Pointing the Way to a New Era of Economic Growth" by Richard K. Lester