Step 1 : Introduction to the question "When was electricity first installed in the White House?"
...When electricity was first installed in the White House, faith in the safety of electricity was not widespread. In fact, there were few people at the time who actually had enough faith in this new, modern miracle to use it exclusively. Most kept gas lighting handy. President Benjamin Harrison and First Lady Caroline inhabited the White House at the time and they were among those lacking faith in the safety of electricity. In fact, they refused to operate the newly installed light switches for fear of a shock. Round switches installed in each room for turning the current on and off connected to wires buried in the wall plaster. Source: WhiteHouseHistory.org
