MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – On this day, Dec. 22, 1882, electric Christmas lights were turned on for the first time.
Until then, people had been lighting their trees with real candles. Safety was a major selling point for the new lights, but most people weren’t able to afford them because they were too expensive.
In 1923, President Calvin Coolidge made history when he lit the first National Christmas Tree, decorated with over 2,000 electric lights…