History & Area Studies / Thematic History / Social & Cultural History

Why We're Addicted to Energy: The Shocking History of How You Were Tricked

Past and Present Energy Societies: How Energy Connects Politics, Technologies and Cultures

Nina Möllers, Karin Zachmann

We flip a switch, the light turns on. We pay the bill, and we never think about the wall behind the plug. But what if the entire story of our modern civilization is built on a massive cultural illusion? In this video, we dive deep into the book 'Past and Present Energy Societies' by Nina Möllers and Kärin Zachmann. We uncover the shocking history of how energy companies, from the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair to the 1958 Brussels Expo, deliberately trained us to be 'energy amnesiacs.' They hid the dirty coal mines and toxic oil spills behind magical displays of clean, unlimited power. We explore the 'Berlin Bathroom Uprising' where citizens sabotaged a smart grid, the failure of daylight saving time as a political placebo, and why the poor pay more for energy. This is not a boring science lecture. It’s a story of power, propaganda, and the hidden cost of your convenience. Watch to see how you were sold a lie—and what AI might finally do to break the spell.