Hard to believe they used to wire stuff like this....

[Paintedcow]

A *cool* website showing all the old antique wiring from the past! Worth viewing....

[philo]

My house was built in 1898 bot not wired until 1932.

Had it been electrified when it power first came to my city around 1905, it would have been knob and tube.

Thankfully is was done with rigid conduit and BX.

Over the years the wiring has been upgraded several times and most of the original wiring is gone.

[gfretwell]

If rats are a common thing (like they were at the turn of the last century), K&T is a superior wiring method and the "theater wiring" is SO cord, the stuff you are walking on at the carnival. It is very tough. Tinned wire is because they used to solder all of the joints. The failure rate was virtually zero.