Electric Motor

Artifact No.: CSTM 1992.1761
Date: ca. 1883
Source: Ontario Hydro

There is no doubt that J.J. Wright was a Canadian electrical pioneer. He built the city of Toronto’s first electric generating station. However, the claim that Mr. Wright built and demonstrated Canada’s first electric motor in 1883 remains unproven. No two sources tell the same story; the generalities are the same but the details do not match. Was this truly the first electric motor in Canada?

Determining the “true” story will help document an important event in Canadian technological history and is a current project for museum staff.