Final answer:
The first electric arc lamps were installed in Paris in 1875. Edison's development of the incandescent light bulb and the subsequent 'War of the Currents' were critical in advancing electric lighting and its widespread adoption, with AC power eventually becoming the standard.
Step-by-step explanation:
The first electric lights, known as electric arc lamps, were first installed in Paris in 1875. This marked the beginning of a significant transition in lighting technology from gas and oil lamps to electricity. Thomas Edison and Joseph Swan were pivotal in the development of the incandescent light bulb, which was crucial in bringing electric lighting into homes and workplaces due to its safer and more applicable nature for indoor use. While Edison's bulbs first illuminated New York City in 1881, it was the advent of alternating current (AC) power systems, developed by Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse, that truly transformed the electrical landscape, allowing for the distribution of power over long distances and leading to widespread urbanization and factory operations 24/7.
Paris was the trailblazer in adopting electric streetlights, followed by other major cities such as Berlin, which installed electric streetlights in 1882, marking a significant advancement in urban infrastructure and the quality of nighttime activities. The competition between Edison's Direct Current and Westinghouse's Alternating Current, known as the 'War of the Currents', ultimately saw AC become the dominant method of power distribution by 1892.