Self-induction's in the air: Bath and London 1888-89

The British Association for the Advancement of Science held its 1888 meeting in Bath. The annual gatherings were held in a different city each year and were grand affairs; about two thousand visitors travelled to Bath in September to hear about the latest discoveries and debate the issues of the day. Some had come to hear reports from African explorers and some to listen to a young man called George Bernard Shaw talking about The Transition to Social Democracy. But the subject of compelling scientific interest this year was electricity. People thronged to see and listen to Edison's improved wax phonograph, and electrical topics dominated discussion in both Section A (Mathematics and Physics) and Section G (Engineering).