A Single Leaf Once Powered an Entire City Streetlight
The first streetlight in the city of Timisoara, Romania, in 1884 was powered by a single plant: a grapevine whose leaves were used to generate electricity via an early bio-electric experiment. Scientists attached electrodes to the vine and harnessed the tiny voltage created when water moved through its tissues. This experiment demonstrated that living plants can produce measurable electrical currents under the right conditions.
💡 Fun detail:
The same grapevine continued to grow for decades, outlasting the experimental streetlight it once powered.
Source: National Geographic