Ancient Electricity? Lost Technology? Magnetic Trains in 1850, Civil War Solar Power & More

My mind is officially blown...

In July 2025, I wrote The Mystery Post Offices, a Substack article about these massive, glorious buildings, which we are told were post offices. By the 1930s, they were almost all torn down for being “too small.” When this article was converted into an eBook (available for download on ShadowbannedLibrary.com), I wanted to make a little promotional video trailer for it, so I had to write a song. A couple lines of the song stuck with me…

If you’re listening to this article on audio and can’t see the trailer video, the verse I wrote says,

“They tell us back then, people lived lives of simplicity. They tell us back then, they didn’t have electricity. They tell us back then, light came from candles, people sat in the dark, it’s a history scandal…”

Now think about that: for all of history, until the invention of electricity, people sat in the dark. The same people who sat in the dark built these breathtaking structures from hand-cut stone.

They were too ignorant to find a way to create some form of light, yet so brilliant they could create buildings that are far superior to anything we create today. Does that make any sense to you? It doesn’t make sense to me, but I had no explanation for where specifically their electricity came from. Then, while writing about suppressed technology (The Garabed Free Energy Generator, The Peculiar Story of H.E. Perrigo, and The Fuelless Motor), I stumbled across so many fascinating things. Let me show them to you…

Part of the problem with researching this topic is that I don’t know what “electricity” would have been called before it was called “electricity.” It is difficult to locate something when I don’t know what I am looking for. The second part of the problem is that newspaper archives become very sparse in the 1700s. That said, let’s look at what I was able to locate.

In 1746, what seems to be an advertisement appeared in the Salisbury Journal that had the phrase “experiment concerning electricity.”

The same year, The Western Flying Post published an advertisement for The Gentleman’s Magazine, which said, “attempts to show the cause and uses of electricity.”

The same year, a different paper claimed someone suffering from chills and fever was cured by electricity.

By 1753, electrical machines were being used for electroshock therapy.

To put this on the timeline for you, this is so old that America was still under British rule. George Washington was 21 years old and had just been initiated into Freemasonry.

Skipping ahead 100 years, by 1857, magnetic engines had been invented for trains. These engines would eliminate the need for burning coal and coke and eliminate steam entirely. They were reported to cost a fraction of the cost of steam engines and could run at any speed. There were also magnets that could lift seven tons like a feather, as well as special glass lenses that could melt through rock with ease, using nothing more than the sun. This makes me wonder if this is how the flameproof buildings made from rock as well as iron beams, glass, and marble melted like wax. (Read The Suspicious Great Fire of 1871 and Fires to Erase History).

By 1859, solar lamps were readily available to the public and could be easily ordered through mail or telegraph:

To put this into perspective, this was before the Civil War! Yes, before the Civil War, before the 15th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, kind of sort of ended slavery, they were using solar power. Despite movies showing us soldiers hovering around campfires and their lonely wives at home using candles in the dark, there were cost-effective solar devices for sale in the newspaper. WTF, right? That sure isn’t in history class textbooks.

By 1861, sun-powered steamships were so common that they were casually mentioned in the papers.

In 1868 there were solar motors.

On September 11, 1897, The Omaha Daily Bee published an article titled Putting the Sun to Work. In it, they talked about marvelous solar inventions, including solar heaters, solar cookers, and solar engines. When referring to solar power, the article said,

“... Many very wonderful things have actually been accomplished… such as the printing of a newspaper by sun’s rays, which ran the press, the distillation of salt water in large quantities, and even the manufacture of coffee and cider. Various kinds of small motors have been driven by using solar heat to raise the temperature of water, of alcohol, of soda solutions, and of air. Solar engines are sometimes employed for working pumps, and a small locomotive is said to have been run across a desert by no other agency [other than solar power].” Then they said something which raised my brow, “The lightning is harnessed for mechanical uses…”

Lightning? I will have to look into this more. Anyway, the article continued on to say, an inventor from Athens, Georgia, named Severy, created a method for obtaining continuous power from the sun: a solar-powered motor. The principle was the same as many other inventions, but the difference was Severy’s device featured a surplus. The paper said, “Thus surplus energy is used to fill with water a storage tank. When the sun goes behind a cloud, thus suspending the operation of the solar motor, a tripping mechanism automatically starts the water, which takes up the task. Thus there is no pause in the action of the machine.”

Another inventor, Mr. Calver, had invented what he called a solar stove, which was a simplistic, yet effective, electricity-free space heater. This device had been commercially available and was actively being used. The contraption was a box of iron inside a box of wood with airspace between. “In connection with the apparatus are several doors or slides, which are reflectors. The contrivance being placed in the sun, the reflectors throw the heat into the iron box while the non-conducting wood keeps it from being carried off. When the stove is hot enough, it is taken indoors and utilized as a heater until it gets cold.” There were also regularly used solar water heaters, which were a common item, available for home use.

Luther W. Allingham of Los Angeles had built a solar machine for generating steam, heating water, drying fruit, and other purposes. Another inventor had constructed a really practical solar machine for the purpose of distilling water in regions where a supply of drinking water could not be easily obtained. It was portable and could be carried on the back of a man without trouble.

In Algeria, in 1897, the French were experimenting with assorted solar engines. The papers reported that everything in Algeria can be run by solar power because the sun shines at all times in their country. Not only does it always shine, it shines with great power, they said. Fast forward to today and look up the weather of Algeria, and you will see times have changed. The sun is now always blocked by clouds thanks to geoengineering. But back in the 1800s, it was always sunny.

By 1897, there was a magnetic engine boom.

And to put this one on the timeline, this is only a couple of years after the first gas-powered automobile came to be. You see, as soon as something is invented, man has the immediate desire to help make it better, faster, more efficient, and more cost-effective.

The same year as the magnetic motor, electric light baths were available for purchase for home use. Notice what appears to be a fan in front of the bath.

Again, this was in 1897, the same year William McKinley was inaugurated as the 25th President of the United States. Ask yourself how they were powering these light baths, because history claims the first private electricity system had just recently been installed in Thomas Edison’s home. Who on earth would run a newspaper ad to sell electric light baths when electricity was so scarce, if not for another way to power it? Look at these images!

A paper published in 1899 said electric light baths were not a new idea but they were now becoming used by the medical industry as electrotherapy. The light made people feel good. And there were already a lot of different styles of electric light baths that people could buy. Some were standing units, others were beds, while others were large enough to allow the user to sit, lie, or stand.

In 1901, the Topeka Daily Capital reported a solar motor could drive a 10-horsepower engine from an hour and a half after sunrise all the way to an hour and a half after sunset. Yes, there was enough sun back then to power a motor all day, every day. The newspaper pointed out that 10 horsepower is by no means the limit; it could be 100 horsepower if needed; there was no shortage of sun.

In this same article, I came across something that nearly made my eyeballs pop out of my head. The paper printed a picture of a large solar motor. Here is that picture:

What does that look like to you? If you said, “What we are currently told is a satellite dish,” you’re right!

It looks exactly like a satellite dish.

1916 was when the Garabed, invented by TK Giragossian came to be known, and 1918 was the year he was sabotaged by the government and media. For reference, this is during World War 1. Think about that: during WWI, there were solar motors providing free power. My mind is blown.

1922 was when H.E. Perrigo claimed to have developed his fuelless motor. Five years later, he would be shut down by the Blue Sky Commission, which dug into his finances and claimed he wasn’t allowed to accept money from investors.

In 1928, the papers reported a trolley car that had no wheels was propelled through the air completely by magnets. When at a stop, it hovered. Because it was magnetic, the motor did not need fuel.

The same year, the papers reported on the fuelless plane. This engine had been designed by Lester Hendershot.

If you read my piece on him, you already know the tragedy he suffered.

Hendershot’s case was then used to deny a patent for the Trussell Motor, made by an inventor from Omaha. The news reported his creation featured technology similar to Hendershot’s, and being that the scientists said Hendershot’s couldn’t work, it meant the Trussell motor also couldn’t work. Note that they didn’t say the tech didn’t work; they said it couldn’t work. Why couldn’t it work? Because Science claims there is no such thing as free energy, no free energy device can ever work.

In 1921, B. Colbert, another inventor of another fuelless motor, found himself arrested in Little Rock, Arkansas.

He was accused of raising money to fund the project, which the government was able to twist into “selling stock,” thus allowing for the Blue Sky Commission to take action against him. He would later be freed, and charges against him dropped, but only after he was financially destroyed and his credibility forever ruined.

LF Grayson invented a fuelless motor that ran on air. Grayson himself offered a $100 reward to anyone who could find six accredited scientists who would put in writing that his technology didn’t work. $100 in 1920 is roughly $1,600 in today’s currency value.

It is unknown what happened to Grayson because there is a total media blackout.

On 23 December 1924, a group of leading international businessmen gathered in Geneva for a meeting that would alter the world forever. Present were top representatives from all the major lightbulb manufacturers. Together they founded the Phoebus cartel, a supervisory body that would carve up the worldwide incandescent lightbulb market. Their goal was to conspire to reduce the efficiency of lightbulbs. Yes, they wanted to engineer a shorter life span for the incandescent lightbulb. The target mark was to last only 1,000 hours for a pear-shaped household bulb. This would be a massive reduction of thousands of hours per bulb, and any company that deviated from the plan was to suffer hefty penalties: Planned Obsolescence.

The same year, planned obsolescence began being implemented by automobile manufacturers to help control over-saturation of the vehicle market. These are only two examples of how good technology was intentionally taken away, and these examples are just what has come to light. Imagine what has been suppressed and will never be known to the public.

Come 1930, several magnetic motor companies had come to be. Spoiler alert: it would later be shut down by the government. All were accused of selling stock or contracts without going through the government. I will likely write about this.

In 1932, a man named RF Davis invented a motor powered only by air.

It too would vanish from the media.

In November of 1940, the Grumley brothers were about to release their life’s work: a fuelless engine. The papers reported, “Inventor Grumley said that what he had on his hands, and nearing perfection, was of such a revolutionary nature that to give one hint of its true nature or its possible impact on this mechanized world would be to place his life in jeopardy. I’d have to go into hiding, he said, or have 50 policemen surrounding my house at all times.”

No sooner than this announcement was made, the State Securities Division began an investigation into the brothers - not into their technology, but into how they financed it. The engine project was ultimately shut down. The media called it nothing more than a financial scheme to dupe investors.

In 1949, there were magnetic motor tractors. I’m sure these would suffer the same fate as the other magnetic motors.

Suppression isn’t limited to motors, solar products, and other large items. The papers admitted that even things as simple as matchsticks that could be struck 100 times were being suppressed.

I could go on and on, but it feels useless unless I am able to give these inventors a place in history. Unfortunately, most of them have been almost entirely scrubbed from the record - so scrubbed that I have no way to piece together their story. The point is, I highly doubt people sat in the dark for all of history until wired electricity came to be. In fact, I would bet my bottom dollar that they didn’t. Let me round out this article by sharing the same quote I shared in the Garabed piece:

“There is suppression launched against any free-energy inventor who succeeds or is very close to succeeding.” - Retired Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Bearden.

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SOURCES, NOTES & OTHER STUFF

1753 new species of electricity https://www.newspapers.com/image/1212409912/?match=1&terms=%20electricity%20

1753 electroshock https://www.newspapers.com/image/41034266/?match=1&terms=%20electricity%20

1757 https://www.newspapers.com/image/41037463/?match=1&terms=%20electricity%20

1794 https://www.newspapers.com/image/974212858/?match=1&terms=ben%20franklin%20electricity%20

1818 electricity in atmosphere https://www.newspapers.com/image/365713537/?match=1&terms=%20electricity%20

Sunpowered ships https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/589887546/?match=1&terms=sun%20powered

1863 kinetic energy https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/937393161/?match=1&terms=%22energy%20from%20the%20sun%22 and https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/1143052824/?match=1&terms=%22energy%20from%20the%20sun%22 and https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/959679934/?match=1&terms=%22power%20from%20the%20sun%22

heating https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/1065446947/?match=1&terms=%22power%20from%20the%20sun%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/458108028/?match=1&terms=solar%20power

1928 wheeless magnetic car https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/297599204/?match=1&terms=Fuelless%20magnetic%20motors%20ltd

1949 magnetic motor tractor https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/21419164/?match=1&terms=fuelless%20generator

Fuelless plane 1928 https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/1198642863/?match=1&terms=magnetic%20fuelless

Magnetic motors inc https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/1237342207/?match=1&terms=magnetic%20fuelless

Roth magnetic motor 1928 https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/128835034/?match=1&terms=magnetic%20fuelless and https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/321230488/?match=1&terms=roth%20magnetic%20motor. And https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/39600371/?match=1&terms=roth%20magnetic%20motor

Fuelless magnetic motors ltd https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/1237327023/?match=1&terms=magnetic%20fuelless. THEN https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/457366069/?match=1&terms=Fuelless%20magnetic%20motors%20ltd

https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/1189982922/?match=1&terms=inventor%20solar%20heater

1859 solar lamp https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/367411991/?match=1&terms=inventor%20solar%20heater

Electric Light bath https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/584162955/?match=1&terms=magnetic%20engine

1896 magnetic engine https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/604703379/?match=1&terms=magnetic%20engine and https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/410022599/?match=1&terms=magnetic%20engine. And 1852!!!! https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/391627730/?match=1&terms=magnetic%20engine - 7 tons lifted by magnetic like feather

1896 artificial rain https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/686737297/?match=1&terms=magnetic%20engine

https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/684894268/?match=1&terms=solar%20heater%20patent

Grayson fuelless engine https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/903288948/?match=1&terms=fuelless%20engine%20

**** https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/903291808/?match=1&terms=grayson%20engine%20

https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/866241907/?match=1&terms=grayson%20fuelless%20engine%20

https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/762217632/?match=1&terms=%20fuelless%20engine%20

Grumley

https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/1059633667/?match=1&terms=edward%20grumley

https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/1059634193/?match=1&terms=%20fuelless%20engine%20

https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/1059633742/?match=1&terms=inventor%20edward%20grumley%20

https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/824480826/?match=1&terms=fuelless%20motor

https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/1059634059/?match=1&terms=%20grumley%20engine%20

https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/762217632/?match=1&terms=grumley%20fuelless

https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/1059639704/?match=1&terms=grumley%20fuelless

https://fuel-efficient-vehicles.org/energy-news/?page_id=955

Aj culp

https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/552862742/?match=1&terms=fuelless%20motor

Man asking about Hendershots motor

https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/934546438/?match=1&terms=fuelless%20motor

https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/147591862/?match=1&terms=fuelless%20motor

Tindall motor https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/801370915/?match=1&terms=fuelless%20motor

Trusselll https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/741788824/?match=1&terms=magnetic%20fuelless

Rawlings https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/887615425/?match=1&terms=fuelless%20motor

Electro magnetic

https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/520771647/?match=1&terms=magnetic%20engine

https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/458108028/?match=1&terms=solar%20power

https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/53942728/?match=1&terms=inventor%20solar%20heater

https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/606333507/?match=1&terms=inventor%20solar%20heater

Solar panels https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/353009361/?match=1&terms=solar%20panel solar panel roof https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/1189592603/?match=1&terms=solar%20panel