The power of electricity has been known for hundreds of years.  One of the first scientists to study its powers was the American patriot Benjamin Franklin.  Before the American Revolution, Benjamin Franklin made experiments concerning electricity, one of the most famous of which was the flying of a kite during a lightening storm.  A famous painting uses that experiment as a subject.  Franklin and his son stand in a field where Franklin is flying a kite with a metal key attached to the string.  When lightening strikes the kite, electricity passes down the string to the key.  Benjamin Franklin also invented lightening rods which transfer the power of lightening away from buildings and, by doing so, prevent fires that were caused by the lightening before the invention of the rods.  Unfortunately, Franklin and the son who is pictured with him became separated by their political opinions and took opposite sides during the American Revolution.
          About one hundred years later, Thomas Edison invented a light bulb that was powered by electricity and could give light for long periods before burning out.  This invention led to the first practical application of electricity to lighting that we continue to use today.
          However, electricity can be dangerous, as can any power source.  Therefore, specialists are needed to work with it to guarantee that its uses are safe and proper.  These specialists are called electricians.
          There are many different types of electricians.  Some work in construction, some work with electrical power companies, some work with oil generated power, others with water generated power.  Many are licensed.  Indeed, in most places, a licensed electrician must perform all electrical work and certify that it is properly done and safe before the subject of the work, whether a home or hospital, school or office building, can be used.
          There are vocational schools that teach people to be electricians.  However, most electricians learn their trade through apprenticeship where they work with licensed electricians and learn from them.

THE DAM        
          It was high and long and wide and grey, made of concrete and steel.  Behind the dam was a lake that was created by the dam when it was built many years ago.  The water from the lake passed through the inside of the dam where it turned turbines that created electricity for the many cities and towns that lived along the river that flowed from the dam.
          Celia held her mother’s and father’s hands when approaching the rail where she was high above the lake on which the sky was reflected.  She was frightened to be up so high and still be in the outdoors where the wind ruffled her hair.  When her parents took her inside the dam she was relieved.
          It was noisy inside but Celia could still hear the tour guide explain that the water from the lake passed through large machines called turbines where its passage turned great fans that created electricity.  The electricity created by the dam lighted communities many miles away where children like Celia used the power to use their computers and computer games.
          She even saw one of the turbines that was below them on the floor of the dam.  It was as large as a house and made of metal.  Electricians constantly inspected the turbines and kept it in working order so that the people who depended on the power that it produced would not be forced to get along in the dark without radio, television, refrigerators or computers.
         When Celia and her parents came out again into the light, Celia looked up at the top of the dam way high above her.  One day, she thought, I will work in a dam on a big turbine.

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