essay on invention of electricity

Electricity Is the Most Important Invention Essay

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

Electricity Is the Most Important Invention: Essay Introduction

Electricity is the most important invention: essay main body, electricity is the most important invention: essay conclusion, reference list.

The contemporary world and its society are known for the highly developed technologies that make people’s lives easier and simpler. The number of useful and sophisticated inventions grows nearly every day. The scientists work on new ways of studying the world we live in, exploring its resources and using them to improve our quality of life.

This process began centuries ago, yet its most active stage was launched in the middle of the nineteenth century, and one of the major moving forces of the rapid technological development was the reception and application of electricity.

The period of time when the scientists of Europe first started using electricity to create powerful engines and high functioning mechanisms gave a push to such processes as industrialization, urbanization, and globalization; it made a massive impact on the world’s society, its way of living, and habits, it produced massive cultural, political and economic changes.

There is a common misconception that electricity actually may be an invention, but it is one of the natural forms of energy, it has always existed on our planet so it could not possibly be “invented”. The most influential and powerful invention was the discovery of electricity and of ways of using it for various technologies.

Historically, some of the first encounters humans made with electricity date back to Ancient Greece, when people first discovered the rubbing fur and amber together created the attraction between the two surfaces and also lighter objects, which occurred due to static electricity (Atkinson, 2014). This cannot be called a discovery because the reasons or practical use of this phenomenon were not understood.

The more recent interest towards electricity started to form in the 1600s when William Gilbert, inspired by the writings of ancient Greeks created his own work about magnetism, he also was the one who introduced the term “electrical” (Bellis, 2014). After that, such scientists as Descartes, Fermat, Grimaldi, Hooke, Von Guericke and Gray developed the knowledge about electricity.

In 1747 came Franklin’s theory of positive and negative electric charges (History of Electricity from its Beginning, 2012). This theory was followed by Faraday’s discovery of electric induction and the work of electric currents. Finally, the geniuses of Edison and Tesla brought light to all the average households and made the first hydroelectric engines and plants possible (The History of Electricity, 2014).

Ever since electricity and its qualities and possibilities were discovered the speed of technological progress in our world has been growing. The discovery of electricity became the necessary basis for the occurrence of multiple other sciences and inventions that are constantly used and are of crucial meaning in the contemporary world.

The modern society, its life and well being depends on electricity wholly. We cannot imagine our lives without cell phones, computers, the internet, coffee makers, toasters, washing machines, and microwave ovens, and all of these devices work due to electricity, but we often forget that more crucial needs of ours are fulfilled with the help of this discovery (Electricity, women and the home, n. d.).

For example, light in our cities, streets, and homes is electricity, water in our taps is running because of electrical pumps. The impact of electricity on the society of the world and its lifestyle is hard to overestimate. Today it is responsible for our survival.

At the beginning of the nineteenth century at least eighty percent of the population of our planet lived in rural areas and worked in agriculture, the appearance of electric engines created many workplaces in the cities and enforced the process of urbanization. In the modern world, the majority of people live in or close to urban areas.

This is how electricity changed our social geography. Besides, electricity has made an impact on the taste of our food, our education, our medicine and communication (Valdes, 2012). Electricity in hospitals helps to save millions of lives every day. The internet and cell phones have speeded up the world’s communication massively, changed the way people interact with each other. Electricity gave us new modes of transportation too – trams, trains, and trolleybuses function due to electric power.

Basically, the major electric generators are responsible for human life support. Besides, such huge inventions as nuclear power and space exploration are possible because of the discovery of electric power. Electricity and the knowledge of its current, its qualities and effects, its structure and capacities are the discoveries that influenced our world, changed it, shaped it into what we know today. Every human-made object we can touch or see today was made with the help of electricity one way or another.

Our culture and art also depend on electricity a lot, for example, some of the most ancient paintings and manuscripts are preserved with the help of refrigerators working from electricity. The modern mass media such as radio and television exist because of electricity. The music is written, played and delivered to the audiences today with the help of electricity.

Finally, neurosurgery works through the understanding of electric impulses human brain sends to the body making it function. Electricity constantly penetrates humans, this world, and every aspect of life; this is why its discovery can be considered the most influential and important invention.

Atkinson, N. (2014). Who Discovered Electricity? Web.

Bellis, M. (2014). History of Electricity . Web.

Electricity, women and the home. (n. d.). Science Museum . Web.

History of Electricity from its Beginning . (2012). Scholz Electrical. Web.

The History of Electricity , (2014). Code-Electrical . Web.

Valdes, C. (2012). Electricity: How it Changed the World Forever . Web.

• Rat Rod Are Better Than Custom Cars
• Technology and Business: 3D Printer Impact
• Electrical Safety and Hazards of Electricity
• Introducing of Edison’s Technologies
• Nikola Tesla's Inventions and Achievements
• Melissa Virus and Its Effects on Computers
• Technologies: Foam as a Fire Fighting Tool
• The Evolution of Television
• Factors Explaining Cyber Attacks in the USA
• Dispute Resolution Mechanisms
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2019, November 17). Electricity Is the Most Important Invention. https://ivypanda.com/essays/electricity-as-the-best-invention/

"Electricity Is the Most Important Invention." IvyPanda , 17 Nov. 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/electricity-as-the-best-invention/.

IvyPanda . (2019) 'Electricity Is the Most Important Invention'. 17 November.

IvyPanda . 2019. "Electricity Is the Most Important Invention." November 17, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/electricity-as-the-best-invention/.

1. IvyPanda . "Electricity Is the Most Important Invention." November 17, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/electricity-as-the-best-invention/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Electricity Is the Most Important Invention." November 17, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/electricity-as-the-best-invention/.

History Cooperative

Exploring the Pioneers: Who Invented Electricity and How?

Electricity, a force that powers our modern world, has a history filled with innovation and discovery. To unravel the mysteries of this essential energy source, we often ponder about who invented electricity and where it really comes from.

Table of Contents

Who Invented Electricity?

Pinpointing a single individual who “invented” electricity is a bit like searching for a needle in a haystack. The story of electricity’s invention is one of collective human curiosity and innovation, with various key figures contributing to its understanding and utilization.

The Early Stirrings of Electrical Discovery

The journey towards harnessing the power of electricity takes us back to ancient civilizations , long before the names of famous inventors like Franklin, Volta, Faraday, Edison, and Tesla became synonymous with electrical innovation. In these distant times, the concept of electricity was still in its infancy, but early observations and interactions with electrical phenomena were the first sparks of curiosity that ignited the path toward understanding this mysterious force.

Ancient Greeks: Amber and Static Electricity

Around 600 BC, the ancient Greeks made one of the earliest recorded observations related to electricity. They discovered that when amber (a fossilized tree resin) was rubbed with fur, it gained the ability to attract small objects. This phenomenon, known as static electricity, was a rudimentary but crucial step in understanding electrical effects. The Greeks named “electron” after the Greek word for amber, thus giving birth to the term “electricity.”

READ MORE: 15 Examples of Fascinating and Advanced Ancient Technology You Need To Check Out

However, the Greeks’ understanding of electricity was primarily limited to these curious phenomena. They had not yet harnessed it for practical applications, and its deeper nature remained elusive.

Ancient Egyptians: The Lodestone Connection

Across the Mediterranean in ancient Egypt , a different thread of electrical discovery was unfolding. The Egyptians were well-acquainted with the attractive properties of lodestones—naturally occurring magnetic minerals. They used lodestones in various ways, such as creating primitive compasses for navigation.

Although lodestones possess magnetic properties, they are intrinsically linked to the realm of electricity through the study of electromagnetism. However, at the time, the Egyptians likely saw these phenomena as separate and did not fully grasp the connection between magnetism and electricity.

Ancient Chinese: Experiments and Discoveries

In ancient China, scholars and inventors were also embarking on early experiments with electricity, albeit on a limited scale. They documented the effects of certain electric fish species that could produce electric shocks. These observations hinted at the potential of electrical phenomena to interact with living organisms.

READ MORE: Ancient Chinese Inventions

Chinese inventors also created simple devices like the “thunder-stone,” which was an early form of a static electricity generator. It consisted of a rotating metal ball that could accumulate an electric charge when manipulated by hand. While these inventions demonstrated a nascent understanding of electricity’s potential, they remained largely in the realm of experimentation and did not lead to widespread practical applications.

The Significance of Early Discoveries

These early glimpses into the world of electricity may seem rudimentary by today’s standards, but they were vital in laying the groundwork for future explorations. They marked the first steps in humanity’s ongoing journey to comprehend and harness this invisible force of nature. While practical applications were yet to be realized, these early observations were pivotal in sparking curiosity and encouraging further scientific inquiry.

At the time, the significance of these discoveries likely varied across cultures. The Greeks may have marveled at the mysterious attractive properties of amber, while the Egyptians prized lodestones for their navigational utility. In China, the experiments with electric fish and thunder-stones were perhaps seen as curious novelties, with their full implications yet to be realized.

Benjamin Franklin , an 18th-century polymath, is celebrated for his daring experiments with electricity. Though he didn’t “invent” electricity, his contributions significantly advanced our understanding of this natural force, leaving an indelible mark on science history.

Electricity in the 18th Century

Electricity in the 18th century was a mysterious and enigmatic force. While people observed phenomena like static electricity, the nature of electricity remained unclear. It was a subject of scientific curiosity, with limited practical applications.

Benjamin Franklin: A Renaissance Man

Born in 1706, Franklin was a true Renaissance man—scientist, inventor, statesman, writer, and a founding father of the United States. His curiosity led him to explore the mysteries of electricity. Early experiments with Leyden jars and electrostatic generators contributed to the identification of positive and negative electrical charges.

The Kite Experiment: Unraveling Lightning

Franklin’s famous 1752 kite experiment, conducted during a thunderstorm, used a kite, a key, and a Leyden jar to collect lightning’s electric charge. His shocking discovery proved that lightning was a form of electricity. This experiment bridged the gap between controlled laboratory electrical effects and the powerful displays of lightning in nature.

Legacy and Impact

Beyond the kite experiment, Franklin’s pioneering work extended to electrical conductors, insulators, and the invention of the lightning rod. His contributions laid the foundation for future electrical discoveries and practical applications. Franklin’s legacy endures, shaping the modern world powered by the electricity he helped us understand and harness.

Alessandro Volta: The Birth of the Battery

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Italian physicist Alessandro Volta made groundbreaking contributions to the field of electricity, ultimately leading to the invention of the voltaic pile in 1800. This invention marked a significant milestone in the understanding and practical application of electricity, setting the stage for transformative developments in the years to come.

Electricity in the Late 18th Century

During the late 18th century, electricity was a subject of intense scientific inquiry and experimentation. Researchers across Europe and beyond were exploring various aspects of electrical phenomena, often using electrostatic generators and Leyden jars. While these early experiments generated sparks and shocks, they were intermittent and lacked the ability to produce a continuous flow of electrical current.

The challenge of producing a sustained electrical current was a critical barrier to practical applications of electricity. Without a means to generate a stable and reliable source of electricity, its potential remained largely untapped.

Alessandro Volta: The Scientist

Alessandro Volta, born in Como, Italy, in 1745, was a brilliant scientist with a passion for electricity. He was not only a physicist but also a professor of experimental physics, teaching at various prestigious institutions in Italy. Volta’s relentless curiosity and dedication to his work led him to conduct groundbreaking experiments in the field of electricity.

One of Volta’s key contributions was his understanding of the chemical nature of electricity. He believed that electricity was not just a physical phenomenon but could also be generated through chemical reactions. This belief would form the basis for his groundbreaking invention.

The Voltaic Pile: A Revolutionary Invention

In 1800, Alessandro Volta unveiled his revolutionary creation: the voltaic pile, often regarded as the world’s first true battery . The voltaic pile consisted of a stack of alternating discs made of two different metals (typically zinc and copper) separated by pieces of cardboard soaked in an electrolyte solution, such as saltwater or sulfuric acid. The arrangement of metals and electrolytes allowed for a continuous flow of electrical current.

The key innovation of the voltaic pile was its ability to generate a stable and consistent electrical current over an extended period. This breakthrough addressed the fundamental limitation of earlier electrical devices and opened the door to practical applications of electricity.

Impact and Legacy

Alessandro Volta’s invention of the voltaic pile had a profound impact on the scientific community and society at large. It laid the foundation for the development of electrical circuits, allowing scientists and engineers to explore and experiment with electricity in new ways. Volta’s work also inspired further advancements in electrical science and technology.

The unit of electrical potential, the “volt,” is named in honor of Alessandro Volta, recognizing his significant contributions to the field. His work not only advanced our understanding of electricity but also played a pivotal role in the subsequent inventions and discoveries that would transform the world. Volta’s voltaic pile was a testament to human ingenuity, marking a crucial step in the journey towards harnessing electricity as a practical and transformative force in modern society.

Michael Faraday: Electromagnetic Induction

In the 19th century, the field of electricity witnessed remarkable progress, with English scientist Michael Faraday at the forefront of these transformative developments. Faraday’s pioneering work on electromagnetic induction forever changed our understanding of electricity and its practical applications.

Electricity in the 19th Century

The 19th century marked a period of significant transformation in the realm of electricity. While Alessandro Volta’s invention of the voltaic pile had provided a means to generate a steady electrical current, the challenge remained to find new ways to harness this current and make it more accessible for practical use.

During this era, scientists and inventors were experimenting with various electrical devices, including batteries, telegraphs , and electrostatic generators. However, there was still no efficient method for generating electricity on a large scale or for transmitting it over long distances.

Michael Faraday: The Experimental Genius

Born in 1791 in London, England , Michael Faraday was a self-educated scientist with an insatiable curiosity about the natural world. His scientific journey began as an apprentice to a bookbinder, where he had the opportunity to read scientific texts. This exposure ignited his passion for science and led him to conduct his own experiments.

Faraday’s groundbreaking work on electricity and magnetism commenced in the early 19th century when he started working as an assistant to Sir Humphry Davy at the Royal Institution. Faraday’s meticulous experimentation and innovative thinking soon earned him recognition as a brilliant scientist.

Electromagnetic Induction: A Paradigm Shift

One of Faraday’s most significant contributions to the field of electricity was his discovery of electromagnetic induction. In the early 1830s, Faraday conducted a series of experiments that demonstrated a fundamental principle: electricity could be generated by moving a conductor through a magnetic field or by changing the magnetic field around a conductor.

This breakthrough discovery was revolutionary. Faraday’s experiments showed that a changing magnetic field induced an electromotive force (EMF) in a nearby conductor, resulting in the generation of an electrical current. This principle laid the foundation for the development of electric generators.

The Faraday Disc and Practical Applications

Faraday’s experiments with electromagnetic induction led to the creation of devices like the Faraday disc, which consisted of a rotating copper disc placed between the poles of a magnet. As the disc rotated, it generated a continuous electrical current.

The practical implications of Faraday’s work were profound. Electric generators, based on the principles of electromagnetic induction, became the cornerstone of power generation in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They allowed for the efficient conversion of mechanical energy, such as that from steam engines or water turbines, into electrical energy. This innovation enabled the widespread distribution of electricity for lighting, industrial processes, and more.

Michael Faraday’s contributions to the field of electricity extended far beyond his own lifetime. His discoveries in electromagnetism not only revolutionized power generation but also paved the way for the development of electric motors and transformers. These inventions, which relied on Faraday’s principles, transformed industries, transportation, and daily life.

Faraday’s legacy endures not only in the scientific community but also in the very fabric of the modern world. His innovative spirit, commitment to experimentation, and keen insights into the relationship between electricity and magnetism continue to shape our understanding of the electromagnetic forces that power our technologically advanced society. Michael Faraday’s work is a testament to the profound impact that a single individual can have on the course of scientific progress.

Thomas Edison: Practical Applications

In the late 19th century, Thomas Edison emerged as a luminary in the field of electricity, making significant contributions that brought this revolutionary force into practical use. While he didn’t invent electricity, his work in electrical engineering and the creation of the incandescent light bulb in 1879 marked a turning point in the history of illumination and power distribution.

Electricity in the Late 19th Century

During the late 19th century, electricity was evolving from a scientific curiosity into a transformative force poised to change the way society lived and worked. Innovations in electrical engineering were paving the way for practical applications that would redefine modern life.

Electricity was already being used in various industries, including telegraphy and manufacturing, but its widespread application for lighting and powering homes and businesses was still in its infancy. Edison’s contributions would play a pivotal role in making electricity accessible to the masses.

Thomas Edison: The Inventor

Thomas Alva Edison, born in 1847 in Milan, Ohio, was a prolific inventor with a voracious appetite for innovation. Often referred to as the “Wizard of Menlo Park,” Edison held over 1,000 patents in his lifetime and is best known for his contributions to electrical engineering.

Edison’s work began in earnest when he established his famous Menlo Park laboratory in New Jersey. It was there that he embarked on a mission to develop practical electrical devices that would benefit society.

The Incandescent Light Bulb: Illuminating the World

One of Edison’s most iconic inventions was the incandescent lightbulb , which he successfully developed in 1879. Edison’s bulb used a filament made of carbonized bamboo, which could glow brightly when an electric current passed through it without burning out. This innovation marked a significant improvement over previous lighting technologies, such as gas lamps and arc lamps, which were less efficient and had limited lifespans.

The widespread adoption of Edison’s incandescent light bulbs transformed the way people lived and worked. It made it possible for homes, streets, and businesses to be lit with a reliable and long-lasting source of electric light. This development not only improved the quality of life but also paved the way for extended working hours and increased productivity.

Electric Power Distribution Systems

Edison’s impact on the practical application of electricity extended beyond the light bulb. He was also instrumental in the development of electric power distribution systems. Recognizing the need for a method to deliver electricity efficiently to homes and businesses, Edison worked on the creation of direct current (DC) electrical systems.

In the late 19th century, Edison’s DC systems were used to power various urban areas, including parts of New York City. However, DC had limitations when it came to transmitting electricity over long distances, which led to the “War of Currents” between Edison’s DC and Nikola Tesla’s alternating current (AC) systems.

Thomas Edison’s contributions to the practical application of electricity were transformative. His inventions, including the incandescent light bulb and electric power distribution systems, played a pivotal role in the electrification of society. They not only improved the quality of life but also spurred economic growth and technological progress.

While Edison’s work primarily focused on DC systems, which eventually gave way to the more efficient AC systems developed by Nikola Tesla , his innovations laid the groundwork for the modern electrical grid. Today, we continue to benefit from the pioneering spirit of Thomas Edison, who illuminated the world and paved the way for the electrified future we enjoy today.

Nikola Tesla: Alternating Current (AC)

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Nikola Tesla emerged as a brilliant inventor and visionary who would revolutionize the world of electricity. While he did not “invent” electricity itself, his pioneering work in alternating current (AC) power transmission systems reshaped the way electricity was generated, distributed, and utilized. Tesla’s contributions in the “Battle of Currents” with Edison not only highlighted the efficiency and practicality of AC but also laid the foundation for the modern electrical grid.

During the late 19th century, electricity was a dynamic field experiencing rapid growth and innovation. It was recognized as a powerful and transformative force with the potential to change every aspect of modern life. However, there were competing technologies and approaches to the generation and distribution of electricity.

Two primary systems vied for dominance: direct current (DC) championed by Thomas Edison and alternating current (AC) championed by Nikola Tesla. The choice between these systems had far-reaching implications for the practical applications of electricity.

Nikola Tesla: The Visionary Inventor

Nikola Tesla, born in 1856 in Smiljan (modern-day Croatia), was a brilliant inventor and electrical engineer known for his exceptional intelligence and innovative thinking. He immigrated to the United States in 1884, where he began working with Thomas Edison but soon found himself at odds with Edison’s preference for DC power.

Tesla believed that AC was the superior method for power transmission due to its ability to be transformed into different voltage levels using transformers, allowing for more efficient long-distance transmission. He began developing AC systems and patents, which would become the foundation of modern power distribution.

The “War of Currents”

The late 19th century witnessed a fierce rivalry between Edison and Tesla, known as the “War of Currents.” Edison advocated for DC systems, which were initially used to power cities like New York. However, DC had limitations when it came to long-distance transmission, as it required power stations at close intervals to maintain voltage.

Tesla, on the other hand, championed AC, which had the advantage of being easily transformable to high voltages for efficient transmission over long distances. In collaboration with George Westinghouse, Tesla’s AC system gained prominence and was adopted for the electrification of the Niagara Falls power plant. The success of this project marked a turning point in the battle for supremacy between DC and AC.

Nikola Tesla’s contributions to the widespread adoption of AC electricity were monumental. His innovations in AC power systems enabled the efficient transmission of electricity over long distances, revolutionizing power generation and distribution. The adoption of AC systems laid the foundation for the modern electrical grid, which powers homes, industries, and cities around the world.

Tesla’s work also extended beyond power generation and transmission. He made significant contributions to wireless communication, X-ray technology, and radio wave transmission. His visionary ideas continue to influence technological advancements today.

While Nikola Tesla did not “invent” electricity, his pioneering work in AC power transmission systems was a transformative force in the world of electrical engineering. His championing of AC over DC and the successful implementation of AC systems demonstrated the practicality and efficiency of alternating current, which remains the backbone of our modern electrical infrastructure. Tesla’s legacy as a visionary inventor and engineer continues to shape the way we harness and utilize electricity in the 21st century.

A Tapestry of Innovation

The invention of electricity is a story of remarkable individuals who pushed the boundaries of scientific understanding and engineering. From the early observations of static electricity to the development of practical electrical devices, each inventor added a thread to the tapestry of innovation. Electricity, once a mysterious force, is now an integral part of our lives, shaping the course of history and powering the future.

How to Cite this Article

There are three different ways you can cite this article.

1. To cite this article in an academic-style article or paper , use:

<a href=" https://historycooperative.org/exploring-the-pioneers-who-invented-electricity-and-how/ ">Exploring the Pioneers: Who Invented Electricity and How?</a>

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

• Random article
• Teaching guide
• Privacy & cookies

History of electricity

by Chris Woodford . Last updated: December 3, 2021.

I f the future's electric, why isn't the past? Think a little bit about that simple-sounding question and you'll understand what science is all about and why it matters so much to humankind. Consider this: the ancient Greeks knew some basic things about electricity over 2500 years ago, yet they didn't have electric cookers or fridges , computers or vacuum cleaners . How come? Electricity is just the same as it was back then: it works in exactly the same way. What's changed is that we understand how it works now and we've figured out effective ways to use it for our own ends. In other words, science (how we understand the world) has gradually helped us to produce effective technology (how we harness scientific ideas for human benefit). The steadily advancing science of electricity has led to all kinds of electrical technologies that we can no longer live without. It's been an incredible achievement, but where and how did it begin? Let's take a closer look!

Listen instead... or scroll to keep reading

Photo: A statue of Thales of Miletus gripping the discovery for which he's best known: electricity. Photo of a statue by Louis St. Gaudens at Union Station, Washington, DC. Credit: Photographs in the Carol M. Highsmith Archive, courtesy of Library of Congress , Prints and Photographs Division.

Ancient sparks

Way back in 600BCE, a Greek mathematician and philosopher named Thales (c.624–546BCE), who lived in the city of Miletus (now in Turkey), kicked off our story when he discovered the basic principle of static electricity (electricity that builds up in one place). As he rubbed a rod made of amber (a fossilized tree resin), he found he could use it to pick up other light objects, such as bits of feathers. (You've probably done a similar experiment rubbing a ruler or a balloon and using it to pick up pieces of paper.)

Before Thales came along, people might well have explained something like this as magic: ancient people didn't reason things out scientifically the way we do today. Their explanations were often a muddled mixture of magic, superstition, folklore (stories), and religion. [3] Thales is often called the world's first scientist, because he was one of the very first people who tried to find sensible, rational explanations for things. His explanations weren't always correct (he thought everything in the Universe was ultimately made of water and believed Earth was a flat disc), but they were the best logical deductions he could make from his observations of the world—and, in that sense, they were scientific. [4]

Photo: "Aristotle" pictured at the National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C. Credit: Photographs in the Carol M. Highsmith Archive, courtesy of Library of Congress , Prints and Photographs Division.

The logical, scientific ways of doing things we rely on today were developed by later Greeks such as Aristotle (348–322BCE) and Archimedes (287–212BCE), who built on Thales' work, and Islamic scholars such as Alhazen (965–1040CE), who gave us the scientific method : coming up with a tentative explanation for something (a hypothesis), which is then tested through experiments to make a more robust explanation (a theory). Important though these people were, electricity (as we know it today) didn't figure in their thinking. They had little conception of how useful it could be—or what it would eventually lead to. They were more concerned with astronomy, mathematics, matter, and optics (how light works). Science might have been in its advent, but electricity was still just a "magical" curiosity—of very little practical use.

Positive and negative

Artwork: William Gilbert gave us our word for "electricity." Photograph courtesy of the Wellcome Collection published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.

Incredibly, the scientific study of electricity didn't really advance any further for a full 2000 years after Thales' original discovery. But around 1600CE, Englishman William Gilbert (1544–1603), a physician to the English Queen Elizabeth I, started to probe it further. Gilbert was the person who coined the Latin term "electricus" (a word meaning "like amber," reflecting Thales' original discovery) and he believed electricity was caused by a fluid called "effluvium" that could move from place to place. This was an important insight because it was the first real suggestion that electricity could form what we now call a current, as well as remain static (in one place). Although Gilbert is much better known for his work on magnetism (he made the important deduction that Earth behaves like a giant magnet), and compared it with electricity, he didn't unite the two things in a single theory. If he'd done so, he probably would have gone down in history as one of the greatest physicists of all time. (As we'll see later, the person who finally achieved that, James Clerk Maxwell, is celebrated in exactly that way.)

Artwork: "Experiments and Observations Tending to Illustrate the Nature and Properties of Electricity": The cover of William Watson's book of electrical research.

It was now becoming clear that there was much more to electricity than the ancients had realized. In 1733/4, almost 150 years after Gilbert's death, a French physicist named Charles du Fay (1698–1739) made the next important breakthrough when his experiments revealed that static electricity could come in two different (opposite) flavors, which he named "vitreous" and "resinous." If you rubbed some objects, they gained one kind of electricity; if you rubbed others, they gained the opposite kind. Just as two "like" magnets (two north poles or two south poles) will repel, so two objects with "like charges" of electricity will also repel, while objects with unlike charges (like magnets of opposite poles) will attract. Although we now know this idea is correct, back in the 18th century, such a convoluted explanation sounded wrong to some people. Why should there be two kinds of electricity? Didn't it flout a basic scientific principle called Occam's razor —the idea that explanations should be as simple as possible? Englishman Sir William Watson (1715–1787) thought there was just one kind of electricity, with an ingenious explanation much more like our modern view: if we have too much electric charge, it seems like one kind of electricity; if too little, the other kind. Watson gave us the concept of electric circuits (closed paths around which charge flows) and made an important distinction between conductors and insulators. He was also one of the first to show that electricity could zip down very long wires, and his other experiments included passing electricity through lines of several people to give them surprising electric shocks.

Photo: A museum exhibit at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, illustrating Benjamin Franklin's highly dangerous attempt to catch electricity in a thunderstorm. Credit: Carol M. Highsmith's America Project in the Carol M. Highsmith Archive, courtesy of Library of Congress , Prints and Photographs Division.

Two decades later, the question of how many kinds of electricity there were was effectively settled by Watson's contemporary, the American polymath Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790). Printer, journalist, inventor, statesman, scientist and more, he made all sorts of contributions to 18th-century American life. One of his most important achievements was confirming that there was a single "electric fluid," giving rise to the two "kinds" of electricity, which he named (as we still do today) "positive" and "negative." Like Watson, Franklin helped to tease out the mystery between static and current electricity. In his most famous (and indeed most dangerous) experiment, he flew a kite in a thunderstorm with a metal key attached to it by a long string. The basic idea was to catch electrical energy in the clouds (static electricity) from a lightning strike (current electricity), which he hoped would travel down the string to the key (more current electricity). Fortunately, lightning didn't strike the kite, which might well have killed Franklin, but he was able to detect charges and sparks, so confirming his ideas. DON'T try anything like this at home! [5]

“ And when the rain has wet the kite and twine, so that it can conduct the electric fire freely, you will find it stream out plentifully from the key on the approach of your knuckle. ” Benjamin Franklin, 1752 [12]

Franklin's electrical research marked a new milestone and hinted of much more to come, because it suggested electricity could be captured and stored as a form of energy. But electricity turned out to be even more useful when people discovered how it could exert a force. That was demonstrated by Frenchman Charles Augustin de Coulomb (1736–1806), who charged up two small spheres with positive electricity and then measured the (repulsive) force as they pushed away from one another (repelling the same way as two magnets with like charges). Coulomb found that the force between charges depended not just on their size but also on the distance between them—something now known as Coulomb's law. (The basic unit of electric charge is also named the Coulomb in his honor.)

Electrical experiments were still hampered by the sheer difficulty of making and storing electricity, which, at this time, essentially relied on rubbing things to build up a good static charge. The study of electricity really advanced when a group of European scientists devised ways of storing electrical charges in glass jars with separate pieces of metal attached to the inside and outside surfaces—devices known as Leyden jars, which were the first effective capacitors (charge-storing devices). Developed independently in the 1740s by German Ewald Georg von Kleist and Pieter van Musschenbroek (of the city of Leyden, hence the name), they offered a much more convenient way of studying electricity.

Photo: Electrical research as it was in the early 18th century: A pair of glass Leyden jars (center) with their electrical connections to an electricity generating machine (right). Oil painting by Paul Lelong c.1820 courtesy of the Wellcome Collection published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.

Animal magic

Ever since Thales' original discovery, scientists knew that static electricity could be made by rubbing things, but no-one knew exactly why this was so or where the electricity ultimately came from. In the late 18th century, Italian biologist Luigi Galvani (1737–1798) found he could make electricity in a completely different—and totally unexpected—way: using the legs of a dead frog. In his most famous experiment of all, when he pushed brass hooks into a frog's legs and hung them from an iron post, he saw the legs twitch from time to time as electricity flowed through them. That led him to think that living things like frogs contained something he called "animal electricity," which the metals were somehow releasing.

Artwork: Luigi Galvani believed he'd discovered "animal electricity" when he hung a frog's legs from a metal hook (left) and watched them twitching. Illustration courtesy of US Library of Congress .

In fact, as another Italian, physicist Alessandro Volta (1745–1827) soon discovered, Galvani had leaped to the wrong conclusion. The twitching frog was merely the current detector, not the source of the current. The important thing, as Volta discovered when he experimented with all sorts of different materials, was "the difference in the metals." What was really happening was that the two different metals, connected through the moist, fleshy, froggy tissue, were producing electricity chemically. Volta managed to recreate this effect with discs of two different metals, silver and zinc, separated by pieces of cardboard soaked in saltwater, and that was how he came to invent the world's first proper battery —an invention that revolutionized the history of electricity. It was a perfect example of how a scientific discovery can be rapidly turned into a practical technology—and one that allowed science to advance even further by making experiments easier. Even in Volta's time, the discovery was considered so impressive that the inventor was asked to demonstrate it before the great French emperor Napoleon I, who set up the Galvanism Prize in his honor. (His nephew, Napoleon III, set up a Volta Prize to reward great scientific discoveries some years later.)

Volta's invention also led to the development of a new branch of science called electrochemistry. One of its founding fathers, Sir Humphry Davy (1778–1829), used a kind of electrochemistry known as electrolysis (effectively, making a battery work in reverse) to discover a number of chemical elements, including sodium and potassium, and later barium, calcium, magnesium, and strontium. Fittingly, he was awarded a Galvanism Prize for his work in 1807.

Magnetic attractions

There's electricity—and there's magnetism. That's how people like William Gilbert saw the world and it's still how we study it in schools to this day. The idea is not wrong, but it's a little bit misleading, because electricity and magnetism are essentially two different ways of looking at the same, bigger phenomenon. They're like two sides of the same coin or the front and back of a house. There had been various clues about the links between electricity and magnetism over the years. (In 1735, for example, the scientific journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London had carried "An account of an extraordinary effect of lightning in communicating magnetism" : according to a doctor in Yorkshire, a lightning bolt had struck the corner of a house where a large box of metal knives and forks were stored, scattering them around and, curiously, magnetizing them in the process.) But the definitive connection between electricity and magnetism was really first established by a series of revolutionary experiments that European scientists carried out in the 19th century.

The person who gets the credit for discovering what we now know as electromagnetism was Danishman Hans Christian Oersted (1777–1851), a physics professor in Copenhagen who had been inspired by Volta's invention of the battery. [6] Around 1820, during a student lecture, he just happened to place a compass near an electric wire and switched on the current. Incredibly, he noticed that the sudden current made the compass needle move, while reversing the current made the needle move the opposite way, suggesting the electricity flowing through the wire was making magnetism (because that's what a compass detects). [7] Though this was a major discovery, it wasn't the first proof of electromagnetism. About 20 years earlier, an Italian philosopher named Gian Domenico Romagnosi (1761–1835) had done a similar experiment, but few remember him today. [8]

Animation: Oersted's experiment: When he placed a compass near a wire and switched on the current, the compass needle moved one way; when he reversed the current in the wire, the needle moved the opposite way.

“ ...the magnetical effects are produced by the same powers as the electrical... all phenomena are produced by the same original power ” Hans Christian Oersted [9]

After learning of Oersted's work, Frenchman Andre-Marie Ampère (1775–1836) carried out another groundbreaking experiment with two wires placed side by side. When he switched on the current, he found the wires could push apart or pull together. One of his important conclusions was that a current-carrying wire makes a magnetic field at right angles, in concentric circles around the wire—rather like the ripples on a pond when you drop a stone into it.

This was all very interesting, but what use could it possibly be? Step forward English chemist and physicist Michael Faraday (1791–1867), originally an assistant to Sir Humphry Davy, who took "Ampère's beautiful theory" (as he called it) a stage further. [10] Ingeniously, he found he could make a wire rotate by passing electricity through it, because the flowing current created a magnetic field around it that would push against the field of a nearby magnet—and so invented a very primitive and not very practical electric motor . A few years later, he realized this invention would also work in reverse: if he moved a wire through a magnetic field, he could make electricity surge through it. That marked the invention of the electricity generator —a simple but revolutionary device that now provides virtually all the electricity we use to this day. Faraday, though he stood on the shoulders of Oersted, Ampère, and those who came before, arguably made the greatest contribution to our modern age of electric power.

Photo: Joseph Henry, America's answer to Michael Faraday, is honored by this statue at the US Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building. Photo by Carol M. Highsmith. Credit: Library of Congress Series in the Carol M. Highsmith Archive, courtesy of Library of Congress , Prints and Photographs Division.

Faraday wasn't the only pioneer of electromagnetism, however. Elsewhere in the UK, William Sturgeon (1783–1850), a brilliant but undeservedly forgotten inventor, was carrying out very similar experiments. In 1825, between Faraday's inventions of the electric motor and generator, Sturgeon built the first powerful electromagnet by coiling wire around an iron bar and sending a current through it. Over in the United States, in 1831, physicist Joseph Henry (1797–1879) made far bigger and better electromagnets (reputedly boosting the strength of the magnetic field by using wire insulated with cloth torn from his wife's undergarments) until he'd built a huge electromagnet that could lift a ton in weight. [11] Powerful electromagnets like this are still used in junkyards to this day to heave metal car bodies from one place to another. The following year, Sturgeon built the first practical, modern electric motor , using an ingenious device called a commutator that keeps the motor's axle rotating in the same direction.

A powerful force

Motors and generators—two parts of Faraday's very impressive legacy—are the twin bedrocks of our modern electric world. Generators make electric power, motors take that power and do useful things, from pushing electric cars down the road to sucking up dirt in your vacuum. But electrical energy doesn't come from thin air; as Volta showed, it doesn't even come magically from dead animals. If we want a certain amount of electrical energy, we have to produce it from at least as much of another kind of energy. That's a basic law of physics known as the law of conservation of energy , largely figured out by Scottish physicist James Prescott Joule (1818–1889) in the 1830s. Joule showed how different kinds of energy—including ordinary movement (mechanical energy), heat , and electricity—could be converted into one another. [13] What Joule's work means, essentially, is that if you want to run a huge city like New York or Sao Paulo off electricity, you'll need to harness huge amounts of some other kind of energy to do it. So, for example, you'll need a giant power station burning huge amounts of coal, hundreds of wind turbines, or a vast area of solar cells .

Photo: Power pioneer: Thomas Edison built the first practical power plants, which made electricity from coal using dynamos like this evolved by Michael Faraday's generator. Photo by H.C. White Co., courtesy of US Library of Congress .

Making enough energy to supply towns and cities with electricity became possible when a Belgian engineer named Zénobe Gramme (1826–1901) built the first large-scale, practical direct-current (DC) generators in the 1870s. In 1881, the world's first power plant opened in the small town of Godalming, England. The following year, Thomas Edison (1846–1931) built the first full-scale power plant at 257 Pearl Street in Manhattan, New York City. While Edison opted for plants that produced DC electricity, his former employee turned bitter rival Nikola Tesla (1856–1943) thought alternating current would work much better, since, among other things, it could be used to transmit power efficiently over very long distances. Tesla teamed up with engineer George Westinghouse (1846–1914), and the two launched a bitter battle with Edison—now known as the War of the Currents —until they'd firmly established AC as the victor. Today, though AC remains the heart of the electricity "grid" systems that provide much of the world's power, DC has again grown in importance thanks, in particular, to things like solar cells, which generate direct (rather than alternating) current. [14]

Waving hello

Photo: James Clerk Maxwell. Public domain photo by courtesy of Wikimedia Commons .

By the end of the 19th century, electricity and magnetism were happily married in motors and generators, but what was the real connection between them? Why did one produce the other? The mystery was largely solved in the second half of the 19th century by a brilliant Scottish physicist named James Clerk Maxwell (1831–1879). In 1873, building on Michael Faraday's work, Maxwell published a complete theory of electromagnetism, neatly summarizing everything that was then known about electricity and magnetism in four apparently simple mathematical equations . Maxwell's theory explained how static or moving electric charges create electric fields around them, while magnetic poles (the ends of magnets) make magnetic fields. It also showed how electric fields can create magnetism and magnetic fields can make electricity, and tied electromagnetism together with light. This was one of the most fundamental and far-reaching theories of physics advanced so far—as radically important as Newton's work on gravity . Of course, electricity and magnetism were just the same as they had always been. What was different, following the work of James Clerk Maxwell, was a bold new understanding of how they worked together: a revolutionary new piece of science. And as the 19th century rolled on, technology advanced too: with the work of Edison, Tesla, and others, there was a growing understanding of how electromagnetism could put to good use as a practical way of storing and transmitting energy. All that was remarkable enough, but thanks to Maxwell's insights, linking electricity and magnetism to light waves, electromagnetism would soon change the world in another very important way: as a form of communication.

Photo: Champion of radio: Guglielmo Marconi didn't discover the basic science behind radio, but his amazing demonstrations of its usefulness transformed it into a winning technology. Color lithograph charicature of Marconi by Sir L. Ward (Spy), 1905. courtesy of the Wellcome Collection published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.

The first inkling of an exciting new form of electromagnetism came the decade after Maxwell had died. Maxwell had realized that electromagnetism could travel in waves. In 1888, a German physicist named Heinrich Hertz (1857–1894) found he could make some of these waves, in which electrical and magnetic energy tangoed through the air at the speed of light. [15] Apart from confirming Maxwell's ideas, this scientific advance opened up another new bit of technology: a practical way for sending information wirelessly from one place to another. English physicist Sir Oliver Lodge (1851–1940), who had been carrying out similar research to Hertz, and Italian Guglielmo Marconi (1874–1937), a brilliant showman with a gift for popularizing science, were among those who developed this technology. Originally called "ether waves," and now much better known to us as radio , it evolved into radar , television , satellite communication, remote control , Wi-Fi , and a whole variety of other things.

The source of electricity

Electricity has always been magical. Imagine how enthralled Thales must have been when he first saw static over 2500 years ago. Or what Heinrich Hertz felt like as he made the first radio waves in his laboratory in Karlsruhe in 1888. At the dawn of the 20th century, electricity seemed magical in all sorts of ways. Thomas Edison was building bold power plants and switching the world to the wonders of incandescent electric light . Marconi, meanwhile, was bouncing radio waves around the world. And there was a new kind of electrical magic as well: the dawning realization that electricity and magnetism originated from tiny particles inside atoms.

The idea that there must be a kind of "particle of electricity" had originally been put forward in 1874 by Irishman George Johnstone Stoney (1826–1911), who had previously studied the kinetic theory (how gas particles carried heat ). [16] Similar ideas were advanced in 1881 by German physicist Hermann von Helmholtz (1821–1894) and Dutchman named Hendrik Antoon Lorentz (1853–1928); together, these three developed the modern "particle" theory of electricity, in which static charges are seen as a build up of electric particles, while electric currents involve a flow of these particles from place to place. But what were the particles? The growing understanding of atoms and the world inside them, by Ernest Rutherford (1871–1937) and his colleagues, offered up a possible candidate in the shape of the electron, a particle Stoney named in 1891. Electrons were finally discovered in 1897 by British physicist J.J. Thomson (1856–1940), while he was playing around with a gadget called a cathode-ray tube, rather like an old-fashioned TV set. [17]

Animation: Solid-state physics explains that electric current is carried by electrons (blue) moving through materials.

During the 20th century, scientists came to understand not just how electrons power electricity and magnetism, but how they're involved in all kinds of other physical phenomena, including heat and light . Known as solid-state physics, these scientific ideas have led to some revolutionary electronic technologies, including the transistor , integrated circuits for computers, solar cells , and superconductors (materials with little or no electrical resistance).

Today, as the world grapples with pressing problems like air pollution and climate change , the need to switch from dirty fuels to cleaner forms of power has made electricity more important to us than ever. Back in Thales' time, electricity was just a take-it-or-leave-it, magical curiosity; today, it's central to our world and everything we do. The story of electricity runs, like a current, right through our past. Thanks to the brilliant work of these scientists and inventors, it also points to a bright and hopeful future.

If you liked this article...

Don't want to read our articles try listening instead, find out more, on this website.

• Static electricity

For younger readers

• The Attractive Story of Magnetism with Max Axiom, Super Scientist by Andrea Gianopoulos. Capstone Press, 2008/2019. A graphic book with a companion app.
• Scientific Pathways: Electricity by Chris Woodford. Rosen, 2013: My quick introduction to electrical history. Previously published by Blackbirch in 2004 under the series title Routes of Science.
• Charged Up: The Story of Electricity by Jackie Bailey and Matthew Lilly. Picture Window Books/A & C Black, 2004. A graphic-style history that will appeal to reluctant readers.
• DK Biographies: Thomas Edison by Jan Adkins. DK, 2009. A well-illustrated, curriculum linked, short biography for younger readers aged 9–12.

For older readers

• The Age of Edison: Electric Light and the Invention of Modern America by Ernest Freeberg. Penguin, 2013.
• The Wizard of Menlo Park: How Thomas Alva Edison Invented the Modern World by Randall E. Stross. Crown Publishing Group, 2008.

Scholarly articles

• Bibliographical History Of Electricity And Magnetism by Paul Fleury Mottelay. Charles Griffin, 1922.
• Origin of the Electrical Fluid Theories by Fernando Sanford, The Scientific Monthly, Vol 13, No 5, Nov 1921, pp.448–459.

Primary sources

• Great Experiments in Physics: Firsthand Accounts from Galileo to Einstein by Morris H. Shamos. Dover, 1959/1987. A wonderful collection of original papers, including groundbreaking electromagnetic experiments by Hans Christian Oersted, Michael Faraday, James Joule, J.J. Thomson, and Robert Millikan.
• Experiments and Observations on Electricity by Benjamin Franklin, The American Journal of Science and Arts, 1769.
• On the Production of Currents and Sparks of Electricity from Magnetism by Joseph Henry, The American Journal of Science and Arts, 1832.
• ↑     Origin of the Electrical Fluid Theories by Fernando Sanford, The Scientific Monthly, Vol 13, No 5, Nov 1921, pp.448–459.
• ↑     Speculation and Experiment in the Background of Oersted's Discovery of Electromagnetism by Robert C. Stauffer, Isis, Vol 48 No 1, March 1957, pp.33–50.
• ↑    "Chapter 9: Hans Christian Oersted: Electromagnetism" in Great Experiments in Physics: Firsthand Accounts from Galileo to Einstein by Morris H. Shamos. Dover, 1959/1987, p.121.
• ↑     Speculation and Experiment in the Background of Oersted's Discovery of Electromagnetism by Robert C. Stauffer, Isis, Vol 48 No 1, March 1957, p.33.
• ↑    "Beautiful theory": "Chapter 10: Michael Faraday: Electromagnetic Induction and Laws of Electrolysis" in Great Experiments in Physics: Firsthand Accounts from Galileo to Einstein by Morris H. Shamos. Dover, 1959/1987, p.131.
• ↑     Henry discusses this in On the Production of Currents and Sparks of Electricity from Magnetism by Joseph Henry, The American Journal of Science and Arts, 1832.
• ↑    Franklin describes the kite experiment in "Letter XI," Experiments and Observations on Electricity by Benjamin Franklin, The American Journal of Science and Arts, 1769, p.111.
• ↑    "Chapter 12: James Joule: The Mechanical Equivalent of Heat" in Great Experiments in Physics: Firsthand Accounts from Galileo to Einstein by Morris H. Shamos. Dover, 1959/1987, p.166.
• ↑    Some reasons for DC's resurgence are set out in Edison's Final Revenge: The system of DC power generation and local distribution that the great inventor championed is set for a comeback by David Schneider, American Scientist, Vol 96 No 2, March–April 2008, pp.107–108.
• ↑    "Chapter 13: Heinrich Hertz: Electromagnetic waves" in Great Experiments in Physics: Firsthand Accounts from Galileo to Einstein by Morris H. Shamos. Dover, 1959/1987, p.184.
• ↑    " George Johnstone Stoney, F.R.S., and the Concept of the Electron by J. G. O'Hara, Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London, Vol 29, No 2, March 1975, pp.265–276.
• ↑    "Chapter 16: J.J. Thomson: The Electron" in Great Experiments in Physics: Firsthand Accounts from Galileo to Einstein by Morris H. Shamos. Dover, 1959/1987, p.216.

Text copyright © Chris Woodford 2021. All rights reserved. Full copyright notice and terms of use .

Rate this page

Tell your friends, cite this page, more to explore on our website....

• Get the book
• Send feedback

History of Electricity

Electrical Science Was Established in the Elizabethan Age

• Invention Timelines
• Famous Inventions
• Famous Inventors
• Patents & Trademarks
• Computers & The Internet
• American History
• African American History
• African History
• Ancient History and Culture
• Asian History
• European History
• Latin American History
• Medieval & Renaissance History
• Military History
• The 20th Century
• Women's History

The history of electricity begins with William Gilbert (1544–1603), a physician and natural scientist who served Queen Elizabeth the first of England. Before Gilbert, all that was known about electricity and magnetism was that a lodestone ( magnetite ) possessed magnetic properties and that rubbing amber and jet would attract bits of various materials to start sticking.

In 1600, Gilbert published his treatise "De magnete, Magneticisique Corporibus" (On the Magnet). Printed in scholarly Latin, the book explained years of Gilbert's research and experiments on electricity and magnetism. Gilbert raised the interest in the new science greatly. It was Gilbert who coined the expression "electrica" in his famous book.

Early Inventors

Inspired and educated by Gilbert, several Europeans inventors, including Otto von Guericke (1602–1686) of Germany, Charles Francois Du Fay (1698–1739) of France, and Stephen Gray (1666–1736) of England expanded the knowledge.

Otto von Guericke was the first to prove that a vacuum could exist. Creating a vacuum was essential for all kinds of further research into electronics. In 1660, von Guericke invented the machine that produced static electricity; this was the first electric generator.

In 1729, Stephen Gray discovered the principle of the conduction of electricity and, in 1733, Charles Francois du Fay discovered that electricity comes in two forms which he called resinous (-) and vitreous (+), now called negative and positive.

The Leyden Jar

The Leyden jar was the original capacitor, a device that stores and releases an electrical charge. (At that time electricity was considered the mysterious fluid or force.) The Leyden jar was invented in 1745 nearly simultaneously in Holland by academic Pieter van Musschenbroek (1692–1761) In 1745 and in Germany by German clergyman and scientist, Ewald Christian Von Kleist (1715–1759). When Von Kleist first touched his Leyden jar he received a powerful shock that knocked him to the floor.

The Leyden jar was named after Musschenbroek's hometown and university Leyden, by the French scientist and cleric Jean-Antoine Nollet (1700–1770). The jar was also called the Kleistian jar after Von Kleist, but this name did not stick.

Ben Franklin, Henry Cavendish, and Luigi Galvani

U.S. founding father Ben Franklin's (1705–1790) important discovery was that electricity and lightning were one and the same. Franklin's lightning rod was the first practical application of electricity. atural philosopher Henry Cavendish of England, Coulomb of France, and Luigi Galvani of Italy made scientific contributions towards finding practical uses for electricity.

In 1747, British philosopher Henry Cavendish (1731–1810) started measuring the conductivity (the ability to carry an electrical current) of different materials and published his results. French military engineer Charles-Augustin de Coulomb (1736–1806) discovered in 1779 what would later be named "Coulomb's Law," which described the electrostatic force of attraction and repulsion. And in 1786, Italian physician Luigi Galvani (1737–1798) demonstrated what we now understand to be the electrical basis of nerve impulses. Galvani famously made frog muscles twitch by jolting them with a spark from an electrostatic machine.

Following the work of Cavendish and Galvani came a group of important scientists and inventors, including Alessandro Volta (1745–1827) of Italy, Danish physicist Hans Christian Ørsted (1777–1851), French physicist Andre-Marie Ampere (1775–1836), Georg Ohm (1789–1854) of Germany, Michael Faraday (1791–1867) of England, and Joseph Henry (1797–1878) of the U.S.

Work With Magnets

Joseph Henry was a researcher in the field of electricity whose work inspired many inventors. Henry's first discovery was that the power of a magnet could be immensely strengthened by winding it with insulated wire. He was the first person to make a magnet that could lift 3,500 pounds of weight. Henry showed the difference between "quantity" magnets composed of short lengths of wire connected in parallel and excited by a few large cells, and "intensity" magnets wound with a single long wire and excited by a battery composed of cells in series. This was an original discovery, greatly increasing both the immediate usefulness of the magnet and its possibilities for future experiments.

The Oriental Impostor Suspended

Michael Faraday , William Sturgeon (1783–1850), and other inventors were quick to recognize the value of Henry's discoveries. Sturgeon magnanimously said, "Professor Joseph Henry has been enabled to produce a magnetic force which totally eclipses every other in the whole annals of magnetism, and no parallel is to be found since the miraculous suspension of the celebrated Oriental impostor in his iron coffin."

That commonly used phrase is a reference to an obscure story bantered about by these European scientists about Muhammad (571–632 CE), the founder of Islam . That tale was not about Muhammad at all, in fact, but rather a tale told by Pliny the Elder (23–70 CE) about a coffin in Alexandria, Egypt. According to Pliny, the Temple of Serapis in Alexandria had been built with powerful lodestones, so powerful that the iron coffin of Cleopatra's younger sister Arsinoë IV (68–41 BCE) was said to have been suspended in the air.

Joseph Henry also discovered the phenomena of self-induction and mutual induction. In his experiment, a current sent through a wire in the second story of the building induced currents through a similar wire in the cellar two floors below.

The telegraph was an early invention that communicated messages at a distance over a wire using electricity that was later replaced by the telephone. The word telegraphy comes from the Greek words tele which means far away and grapho which means write.

The first attempts to send signals by electricity (telegraph) had been made many times before Henry became interested in the problem.  William Sturgeon's  invention of the electromagnet encouraged researchers in England to experiment with the electromagnet. The experiments failed and only produced a current that weakened after a few hundred feet.

The Basis for the Electric Telegraph

However, Henry strung a mile of fine wire, placed an "intensity"  battery  at one end, and made the armature strike a bell at the other. In this experiment, Joseph Henry discovered the essential mechanics behind the electric telegraph .

This discovery was made in 1831, a full year before Samuel Morse (1791–1872) invented the telegraph. There is no controversy as to who invented the first telegraph machine. That was Morse's achievement, but the discovery which motivated and allowed Morse to invent the telegraph was Joseph Henry's achievement.

In Henry's own words: "This was the first discovery of the fact that a galvanic current could be transmitted to a great distance with so little a diminution of force as to produce mechanical effects, and of the means by which the transmission could be accomplished. I saw that the electric telegraph was now practicable. I had not in mind any particular form of telegraph, but referred only to the general fact that it was now demonstrated that a galvanic current could be transmitted to great distances, with sufficient power to produce mechanical effects adequate to the desired object."

Magnetic Engine

Henry next turned to designing a magnetic engine and succeeded in making a reciprocating bar motor, on which he installed the first automatic pole changer, or commutator, ever used with an electric battery. He did not succeed in producing direct rotary motion. His bar oscillated like the walking beam of a steamboat.

Electric Cars

Thomas Davenport (1802–1851), a blacksmith from Brandon, Vermont, built a road-worthy electric car in 1835. Twelve years later U.S. electrical engineer Moses Farmer (1820–1893) exhibited an electric-driven locomotive. In 1851, Massachusetts inventor Charles Grafton Page (1712–1868) drove an electric car on the tracks of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, from Washington to Bladensburg, at the rate of nineteen miles an hour.

However, the cost of batteries was too great at the time and the use of the electric motor in transportation not yet practical.

Electric Generators

The principle behind the dynamo or electric generator was discovered by Michael Faraday and Joseph Henry but the process of its development into a practical power generator consumed many years. Without a dynamo for the generation of power, the development of the electric motor was at a standstill, and electricity could not be widely used for transportation, manufacturing, or lighting like it is used for today.

Street Lights 

The arc light as a practical illuminating device was invented in 1878 by Ohio engineer Charles Brush (1849–1929). Others had attacked the problem of electric lighting, but a lack of suitable carbons stood in the way of their success. Brush made several lamps light in series from one dynamo. The first Brush lights were used for street illumination in Cleveland, Ohio.

Other inventors improved the arc light, but there were drawbacks. For outdoor lighting and for large halls arc lights worked well, but arc lights could not be used in small rooms. Besides, they were in series, that is, the current passed through every lamp in turn, and an accident to one threw the whole series out of action. The whole problem of indoor lighting was to be solved by one of America's most famous inventors: Thomas Alva Edison (1847–1931).

Thomas Edison Stock Ticker

The first of Edison's multitudinous inventions with electricity was an automatic vote recorder, for which he received a patent in 1868, but was unable to arouse any interest in the device. Then he invented a stock ticker , and started a ticker service in Boston with 30 or 40 subscribers and operated from a room over the Gold Exchange. This machine Edison attempted to sell in New York, but he returned to Boston without having succeeded. He then invented a duplex telegraph by which two messages might be sent simultaneously, but at a test, the machine failed because of the stupidity of the assistant.

In 1869, Edison was on the spot when the telegraph failed at the Gold Indicator Company, a concern furnishing Stock Exchange gold prices to its subscribers. That led to his appointment as superintendent, but when a change in the ownership of the company threw him out of the position he formed, with  Franklin L. Pope , the partnership of Pope, Edison, and Company, the first firm of electrical engineers in the United States.

Improved Stock Ticker, Lamps, and Dynamos

Not long afterward Thomas Edison released the invention which started him on the road to success. This was the improved stock ticker, and the Gold and Stock Telegraph Company paid him $40,000 for it. Thomas Edison immediately set up a shop in Newark. He improved the system of automatic telegraphy that was in use at that time and introduced it into England. He experimented with submarine cables and worked out a system of quadruplex telegraphy by which one wire was made to do the work of four.

These two inventions were bought by  Jay Gould , owner of the Atlantic and Pacific Telegraph Company. Gould paid $30,000 for the quadruplex system but refused to pay for the automatic telegraph. Gould had bought the Western Union, his only competition. "When Gould got the Western Union," said Edison, "I knew no further progress in telegraphy was possible, and I went into other lines."

Edison resumed his work for the Western Union Telegraph Company, where he invented a carbon transmitter and sold it to the Western Union for $100,000. On the strength of that, Edison set up laboratories and factories at Menlo Park, New Jersey, in 1876, and it was there that he invented the  phonograph , patented in 1878, and began a series of experiments which produced his incandescent lamp.

Thomas Edison was dedicated to producing an  electric lamp for indoor use. His first research was for a durable filament which would burn in a vacuum. A series of experiments with a platinum wire and various refractory metals had unsatisfactory results, as did many other substances, including human hair. Edison concluded that carbon of some sort was the solution rather than a metal—English inventor Joseph Swan (1828–1914), had came to the same conclusion in 1850.

In October 1879, after fourteen months of hard work and the expenditure of $40,000, a carbonized cotton thread sealed in one of Edison's globes was tested and lasted forty hours. "If it will burn forty hours now," said Edison , "I know I can make it burn a hundred." And so he did. A better filament was needed. Edison found it in carbonized strips of bamboo.

Edison Dynamo

Edison also developed his own type of  dynamo , the largest ever made up to that time. Along with the Edison incandescent lamps, it was one of the wonders of the Paris Electrical Exposition of 1881.

Installation in Europe and America of plants for electrical service soon followed. Edison's first great central station, supplying power for three thousand lamps, was erected at Holborn Viaduct, London, in 1882, and in September of that year the Pearl Street Station in New York City, the first central station in America, was put into operation.

Sources and Further Reading

• Beauchamp, Kenneth G. "History of Telegraphy." Stevenage UK: Institute of Engineering and Technology, 2001.
• Brittain, J.E. "Turning Points in American Electrical History." New York: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Press, 1977. 
• Klein, Maury. "The Power Makers: Steam, Electricity, and the Men Who Invented Modern America." New York: Bloomsbury Press, 2008. 
• Shectman, Jonathan. "Groundbreaking Scientific Experiments, Inventions, and Discoveries of the 18th Century." Greenwood Press, 2003.
• History and Timeline of the Battery
• George Westinghouse's Influence on Electricity
• RADAR and Doppler RADAR: Invention and History
• A Timeline of Events in Electromagnetism
• Major Innovators of Early Motion Pictures
• Timeline of Electronics
• The History of Steamboats
• 20th Century Invention Timeline 1900 to 1949
• Invention Highlights During the Middle Ages
• The History of Aerosol Spray Cans
• History of Photography Timeline
• History of Automatic Teller Machines or ATM
• Popular Products That Originated From Christmas
• The History of the Shopping Mall
• The History of Electroplating
• Top Inventions of 2008

• My IEC Login Forgot password ?

• Advanced search
• Online learning

The origins of electricity

Known as the father of electricity, Michael Faraday was an English scientist who discovered the laws of electromagnetism, and his inventions paved the way for the first electric motors. As renowned physicist Ernest Rutherford once said, "When we consider the magnitude and extent of his discoveries and their influence on the progress of science and of industry, there is no honour too great to pay to the memory of Faraday, one of the greatest scientific discoverers of all time."

Despite little formal education, he became the first Fullerian Professor of Chemistry at the Royal Institution of Great Britain and in 1824 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society . To commemorate the 200th anniversary of this event, the IEC Academy is hosting a free webinar conversation with Frank James, author of Michael Faraday: A very short introduction .

Held on 20 February at 1pm UTC, the talk will cover the life and works of Faraday, from his humble beginnings as the son of a London blacksmith to his world-changing discoveries at the Royal Society. It will also look at how he applied his research to real life situations such as the electrification of lighthouses and long-distance telegraph signalling.

Frank James is Professor of History of Science at University College London (United Kingdom). He spent more than twenty years researching and editing the  Correspondence of Michael Faraday  which is now complete in six volumes.

This free, informative webinar will be of interest to anyone who wants to learn more about the history of electrotechnology and one of the key figures in electrical engineering.

Register here .

The event is the first in the  Meet the author series for 2024. Held by the IEC Academy, the series looks at IEC-adjacent publications, topics and resources that will be of interest to our community.

Learn more about the IEC Academy and their free public webinars .

Case studies for gender responsive standards IEC Community SDGs

Want to find out more about brain-computer interfaces? Digital transformation Healthcare

Dealing with AI bias with the help of standards Safety & security

Eminent leader in data science elected as new Chair of IEC Market Strategy Board IEC Community

Blog digest

Sign up to receive selected stories

History of Electricity

Affordable, reliable electricity is fundamental to modern life. Electricity provides clean, safe light around the clock, it cools our homes on hot summer days (and heats many of them in winter), and it quietly breathes life into the digital world we tap into with our smartphones and computers. Although hundreds of millions of Americans plug into the electric grid every day, most of us don’t give the history of electricity a second thought. Where does it come from? What’s its story?

When we take a fresh look at electricity, we see that keeping America powered up is actually an amazing feat—an everyday miracle. Here’s the Story of Electricity.

Revolutionary Power

Although people have known about electricity since ancient times, they’ve only been harnessing its power for about 250 years. Benjamin Franklin’s electricity experiments – including his famous kite experiment in 1752 – showed just how little we knew about electricity in the era of the American revolution and the first industrial revolution.[1] In the time since Franklin’s experiments, our grasp of electricity has grown tremendously, and we are constantly finding new ways to use it to improve our lives.

Ben Franklin’s famous kite experiment

One of the first major breakthroughs in electricity occurred in 1831, when British scientist Michael Faraday discovered the basic principles of electricity generation.[2] Building on the experiments of Franklin and others, he observed that he could create or “induce” electric current by moving magnets inside coils of copper wire. The discovery of electromagnetic induction revolutionized how we use energy. In fact, Faraday’s process is used in modern power production, although today’s power plants produce much stronger currents on a much larger scale than Faraday’s hand-held device.

In the era of modern power plants, coal has always generated more electricity in the U.S. than any other fuel source. In recent decades, we have seen other sources compete for second place: first hydroelectricity, then natural gas, nuclear power, and natural gas again.

Electricity generation mix by fuel type, 1949-2011

We also use electricity to power an increasing number of devices. Our modern electric world began with applications like the telegraph, light bulb, and telephone, and continued with radio, television, and many household appliances. Most recently, electrons have powered the digital age to create what energy expert Vaclav Smil calls our “instantaneously interconnected global civilization.”[3] Technology expert Mark Mills points out that electricity powers an increasing portion of our economy. The always-on data centers that support the internet and “cloud computing” will continue to increase demand for electricity, overwhelming the modest decreases in electricity use in other parts of the economy, such as manufacturing processes.[4][5]

The ever-growing applications of electricity explain the increasing use of fuels like natural gas, oil, and coal in power generation as opposed to direct uses such as heating or transportation. In 1900, for example, less than two percent of natural gas, oil, and coal were used to make electricity. A century later, 30 percent of our use of natural gas, oil, and coal was devoted to electric power.[6] Smil explains electricity’s appeal: “Electricity is the preferred form of energy because of its high efficiency, instant and effortless access, perfect and easily adjustable flow, cleanliness, and silence at the point of use.”[7]

Increased electricity access has lit corners of the world that were once dark. As international development groups and economists point out, access to electricity is a hallmark of advanced societies and a basic requirement for economic progress.[8] “Next to the increasing importance of hydrocarbons as sources of energy,” economist Erich Zimmermann wrote in 1951, “the rise of electricity is the most characteristic feature of the so-called second industrial revolution.”[9] In recent years, people in countries from China to Kenya have experienced rising living standards, as more people are able to use electricity to keep their homes and schools cool during torrid summers, to refrigerate food that would have otherwise spoiled, and to purify water that would have otherwise been unsafe to drink.

There is, of course, still much more to be done. In 2009, the International Energy Agency estimated that nearly 70 percent of people in Sub-Saharan Africa lacked access to electricity. That means 585.2 million people remain in the dark.[10]

Many parts of the world remain in the dark. 

Back to Top

The Dawn of Electric Light in the U.S.

One of the greatest pioneers in electricity was Thomas Edison, who saw electricity as his “field of fields” to “reorganize the life of the world.” Working tirelessly on electricity from his laboratory in New Jersey in the 1870s, America’s greatest inventor brought the incandescent electric light bulb into practical use by the end of that decade and patented the incandescent light bulb in 1880.[11] “When Edison…snatched up the spark of Prometheus in his little pear-shaped glass bulb, ”German historian Emil Ludwig observed, “it meant that fire had been discovered for the second time, that mankind had been delivered again from the curse of night.”[12] Yet Edison’s electric light was even better than fire—it was brighter, more consistent, and safer than the flame of candles or lamps.

Edison’s light bulb was one of the first applications of electricity to modern life. He initially worked with J. P. Morgan and a few privileged customers in New York City in the 1880s to light their homes, pairing his new incandescent bulbs with small generators. Edison’s electric lighting systems were basic by today’s standards but bold at the time—they not only threatened the existing gas lighting industry but radically challenged the status quo by introducing people to an entirely new type of energy. In a few short years, Edison transformed electricity from a science experiment into an exciting, safe, and coveted luxury.

The light bulb—a symbol of innovation and the invention that sparked the electricity revolution.

The Rise of an Industry

In order for the magic of electricity to truly take hold in American life, new industries were needed to build the generators to supply electric power, as well as the new appliances and electric lights that used it. In 1882, with J.P. Morgan funding his efforts, Edison launched the businesses that would later be known as General Electric. In September of that year, he opened the United States’ first central power plant in lower Manhattan—the Pearl Street Station.

Pearl Street was a stroke of genius. Edison connected a large bank of generators to homes and businesses (including the New York Times) in the immediate area through a network of buried copper wires. At that time, there was no “electric grid.” Before Pearl Street, customers who wanted power for electric lights or motors relied on generators located on-site, typically in the basement. Pearl Street’s “central” power plant design was an important shift from small-scale, on-site generation to industrial-scale power, and soon became the model for the entire power generation industry.[13]

The Dynamo Room at the Pearl Street Station, the first power plant in the U.S. 

Enter Samuel Insull

Although Edison was a brilliant inventor, he was a disorganized businessman. His inventions came to him faster than the financial capital necessary to carry them out, and Edison preferred to focus on the inventions themselves rather than the paperwork they created. The inventor needed a managerial counterpart. That counterpart arrived in 1881, in the form of a promising 21-year-old from England. Samuel Insull, who began his career in the U.S. as a personal assistant to Edison, astounded the inventor with his business prowess—so much so that Edison soon granted Insull power of attorney over his businesses.[14] But the work with Edison would be just the beginning for Insull—over the next four decades, he built an electricity business that made him the Henry Ford of the modern electricity industry.

Electricity required a different business model because it was different than virtually every other commodity. Electricity had to be consumed the moment it was produced. (Storage was very costly and limited—and still is.) In order for electricity to become accessible and affordable, someone needed to bring together mass efficiencies in production and consumption. Insull saw the opportunities in front of him. Whoever mastered the engineering and the economics of the power grid could take the reins of the rising electricity industry—an industry that was already toppling the stocks of gas light companies and attracting big investors like J.P. Morgan. In 1892, Insull left his job as an executive at the lighting company Edison started (General Electric near New York City) for Chicago Edison (an electricity generation/distribution company, later known as Commonwealth Edison).[15] It was a move that would indelibly change the industry.

Early transmission lines in rural America. Photo Credit: Towers

Insull Builds the Modern Power Grid

Insull was able to achieve what economists call “economies of scale” (cost savings from large-scale operations) by consolidating the mom-and-pop electricity providers and closing small generators in favor of larger, more efficient units manufactured by General Electric. He also found efficiencies in customer sales—the more customers he had, the more efficiently he could run his generators, and the cheaper it was to provide power. As Insull’s business grew, he was able to find better ways of providing electricity to more and more people.

1903 turbine hall at Fisk Street Station 

Insull became a master salesman for all things electric. In order to use his generators more efficiently (i.e., run them at full capacity for more hours of the day), he offered to power elevators and streetcars during the daytime when there was less demand for electric lighting.

Insull also used high-voltage transmission lines to spread electricity to the suburbs and then to the countryside. Because customers inside and outside cities used power at different times, Insull was able to provide power to both types of customers more efficiently than if he had served them independently. Such diversification, served by ever-larger and more efficient generators, brought the price of a kilowatt-hour down. Electricity prices fell year after year as the young industry grew between 1902 to 1930.

To be able to provide power for “peaky” customers, Insull implemented a demand charge (a fixed fee) in addition to the typical usage charge. That way, the customer paid for the privilege to use a lot of electricity in a little time. In this way, Insull could profitably expand his business to include all types of customers.

Lastly, Insull found efficiencies by interconnecting or “networking” power grids for backup and reliability, eliminating the need to build (redundant) generation in the same service area.

Consolidation. Mass production. Mass consumption. Rural electrification. Two-part pricing. Networked power. Samuel Insull did for electricity what Henry Ford did for the automobile—he turned a luxury product into an affordable part of everyday life for millions of Americans. Where Edison provided the novelty of electric light to Manhattan’s upper class, Insull’s innovations made electricity accessible to all.

Electricity Becomes Politicized

The electricity industry in the U.S. was intertwined with politics from the beginning. Before Pearl Street ever opened, Edison had to bribe New York politicians just to begin laying the foundations of his work. As Time magazine recounts, Edison “obtained with great difficulty the consent of New York’s famously corrupt city government to build his proposed network on the southern tip of Manhattan. (He got their approval in part by plying them with a lavish champagne dinner at Menlo Park catered by Delmonico’s, then New York’s finest restaurant.)”[17] As the early electricity industry grew, it became more involved with city politics over lighting contracts. Electricity providers had to receive franchise rights from city officials in order to serve local areas, opening the door for those officials to extort power companies for campaign contributions or personal bribes.

Insull’s solution was new legislation that would replace local regulation with statewide regulation of power companies by public utility commissions (modeled after state railroad commissions). In this arrangement, the state commissions would establish a maximum rate for the power company to charge its customers based on the company’s cost of providing electric service (plus a reasonable rate of return).

In exchange for such rate regulation, the state commissions gave the power company an exclusive franchise to serve a given geographical area (a legal monopoly). The early electricity industry was a natural monopoly (according to many economists and regulators, and Insull himself) which turned out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy: state regulators assumed power companies were bound to be monopolies, so they regulated them accordingly and gave them legal monopoly status. The prospect of a true, laissez-faire electricity market was never on the table.

Insull needed time and a huge public relations effort to convince the industry that statewide public utility regulation was the best way to provide low-cost power and dodge harsh local regulation or takeover. Wisconsin and New York were the first states to extend state-level rate regulation to the electricity industry in 1907. By 1914, forty-three other states had followed suit and created state-level commissions to oversee electric utilities.[19]

These state public utility commissions, formed in the early 20 th century, still regulate utilities. In theory, their rate regulation is supposed to protect the consumer, but in practice it often benefits other interest groups—or the utilities themselves—at the expense of consumers. Despite these regulations, Insull continued to provide inexpensive power to a greater number of customers through the first three decades of the 20 th century.

Tragically, the Great Depression financially ruined Insull’s expanding enterprises. His indebted holding company collapsed and legal battles ensued. Facing trial in 1934, he was quoted in newspapers as saying “I am fighting not only for freedom but for complete vindication. I have erred, but my greatest error was in underestimating the effects of the financial panic on American securities, and particularly on the companies I was trying to build. I worked with all my energy to save those companies.”[20]

Insull was acquitted but lost his companies and wealth, and fell into disrepute and obscurity. Public knowledge of his contributions as a pioneer of the modern power grid seems to have died along with him in 1938. As Forrest McDonald wrote of the acquittal in Insull’s biography, “For his fifty-three years of labor to make electric power universally cheap and abundant, Insull had his reward from a grateful people: He was allowed to die outside prison.”[21]

State regulation and Insull’s tragic fall ultimately led to federal intervention into electricity beyond hydroelectric licensing, the founding job of the Federal Power Commission (est. 1920.) In 1935, the Federal Power Act authorized the Federal Power Commission—now the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)—to apply “just and reasonable” cost-based rate regulation to the wholesale power market (along the same lines as state-level regulation of retail rates). Another law, the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935, required multi-state companies to divest properties to operate in only one state.[22]

Federal intervention grew again in the energy-troubled 1970s. The Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 required electric utilities to buy power from independent generators, successfully creating a new industry segment but also opening the door for intermittent generation from renewable sources to enter—and even destabilize—the growing grid. 23] In fear of using up limited energy and natural resources, Congress also passed new legislation designed to curb electricity use and promote environmental goals. New agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (1970) and the Department of Energy (1977) were created to regulate different aspects of electricity, including generation from coal-burning power plants.

In the 1990s, federal regulation of electricity shifted towards a market-based approach.[24] Deregulation had proven beneficial in reducing the cost and improving the quality of tightly regulated areas like the airline industry, and regulators were interested in bringing the same benefits to the electricity industry.

In 1996, FERC attempted to restructure the industry by imposing an “open access” model[25] on utilities.[26] FERC’s intent was to “remove impediments to competition in the wholesale bulk power marketplace.” Despite FERC’s focus on competition, electricity transmission remains heavily regulated. Hence, the “deregulation” of electricity in the 1990s was in fact “re-regulation.” Wholesale electricity markets continue to evolve, with market forces and federal regulations colliding at each step.

Currently, the electric power sector faces an unprecedented amount of federal intervention from several different agencies. Some of the most active are the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), FERC, and the Department of Energy.[27]

The EPA proposed a new rule in 2014 to limit carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants. The rule threatens to close a large portion of the reliable coal-fired electricity supply in the U.S. As a result, the rule will undercut power companies’ ability to meet electricity demand safely and reliably.[28] The EPA rule also comes at huge cost to American families and businesses that use electricity every day—by 2030, the rule is estimated to increase electricity bills by a combined $290 billion.[29]

FERC, with its mandate to ensure just and reasonable wholesale rates, has long been involved in every aspect of wholesale electricity markets. In 2005, it received increased authority from Congress to further regulate the reliability of the power grid, and to oversee wholesale electricity markets. Recent FERC rules favoring renewable sources of electricity have made the agency more political than ever before and raised its profile. Conflicts over FERC leadership—between Congress, the White House, and policy and industry groups—reached a fever pitch in 2013 and 2014 with two nominees to chair the agency being denied the job by Congress.

Meanwhile, the Department of Energy has also encouraged renewable sources of electricity through its national laboratories and essentially banned the use of certain technologies—such as the familiar incandescent light bulb—by establishing energy efficiency mandates. In short, nearly every aspect of electricity is now heavily regulated by multiple federal agencies.

A Powerful Vision

Electricity remains a growth industry today, in spite of political meddling at the local, state, and federal level. New vistas for electricity will always be there for people to discover, but that discovery will require the freedom to inspire new inventions. Let the next generation of electricity entrepreneurs be driven—like Edison and Insull—by the productive forces of human ingenuity and healthy competition.

Electricity is modern life. Without access to reliable power, our lives would be much more like they were before the industrial revolution (to quote Thomas Hobbes): “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.”[30] Nearly every feature of modern civilization depends on affordable, reliable electricity and the things it powers—lamps and heaters to safely keep our homes well-lit and comfortable, smart phones to stay in touch with loved ones, and always-on data centers to give us a reliable Internet—among countless others. It is so crucial to modern life, in fact, that the history of electricity is really the history of the modern world.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons

_____________________________________________________________________

[1] Carl Van Doren, An Account of the Kite Experiment , UShistory.org, http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/info/kite.htm

[2] engineering timelines, faraday’s work- the electrical generation, http://www.engineering-timelines.com/how/electricity/generator.asp, [3]vaclav smil, the energy question, again , current history, december 2000, p. 408., [4] mark p. mills, the cloud begins with coal, august 2013, http://www.tech-pundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/cloud_begins_with_coal.pdfc761ac, [5] energy information administration, manufacturing energy consumption data show large reductions in both manufacturing energy use and the energy intensity of manufacturing activity between 2002 and 2010 , march 19, 2013, http://www.eia.gov/consumption/manufacturing/reports/2010/decrease_use.cfm, [6]vaclav smil, “the energy question, again,” current history , december 2000, p. 409., [7]vaclav smil, “the energy question, again,” current history , december 2000, p. 409., [8] international energy agency, access to electricity, http://www.worldenergyoutlook.org/resources/energydevelopment/accesstoelectricity/, [9] erich zimmermann, world resources and industries (new york: harper & brothers, 1951), p. 596., [10] international energy agency, access to electricity, http://www.iea.org/publications/worldenergyoutlook/resources/energydevelopment/accesstoelectricity/, [11] national archives and records administration, thomas edison’s patent drawing for an improvement in electric lamps, patented january 27, http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/american_originals_iv/images/thomas_edison/patent_drawing.html, [12] these quotations are taken from robert bradley, edison to enron: energy markets and political strategies (hoboken, nj: scrivener publishing and john wiley & sons, 2011), p. 30., [13] robert l. bradley, edison to enron: energy markets and political strategies . (hoboken, nj: scrivener publishing and john wiley & sons, 2011), p. 42., [14] conot, robert. thomas a. edison: a streak of luck. new york: da capo, 1979. (p. 273), [15] comed, carrying on a history of innovation and service , https://www.comed.com/about-us/company-information/pages/history.aspx, [16] australian department of industry, energy efficiency exchange, http://eex.gov.au/energy-management/energy-procurement/procuring-and-managing-energy/understanding-your-energy-requirements/#why_are_demand_profiles_important, [17] thomas edison: his electrifying life, time magazine special edition, 2013., [18] r. richard geddes, a historical perspective on electric utility regulation, winter 1992 http://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/serials/files/regulation/1992/1/v15n1-8.pdf, [19] emergence of electric utilities in america: state regulation , http://americanhistory.si.edu/powering/past/h1main.htm, [20] forrest mcdonald, insull (university of chicago, 1962)., [21] ibid., p. 333., [22] robert l. bradley, edison to enron: energy markets and political strategies . (hoboken, nj: scrivener publishing and john wiley & sons, 2011), p. 219, 513., [23] travis fisher, purpa: another subsidy for intermittent energies, january 22, 2013, http://www.masterresource.org/2013/01/purpa-renewable-energy-subsidies/, [24] market economics: the push for deregulation, http://americanhistory.si.edu/powering/past/h5main.htm, [25] clyde wayne crews, rethinking electricity deregulation: does open access have it wired- or tangled, june 24, 1999, http://cei.org/outreach-regulatory-comments-and-testimony/rethinking-electricity-deregulation-does-open-access-have, [26] federal energy regulatory commission, history of ferc, http://www.ferc.gov/students/ferc/history.asp, [27] institute for energy research, epa’s power plant carbon dioxide reduction mandate, https://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/studies/111d-emissions-map, [28] institute for 21 st century energy, assessing the impact of proposed new carbon regulations in the united states, http://www.energyxxi.org/epa-regs#, [29] institute for 21 st century energy, assessing the impact of proposed new carbon regulations in the united states, http://www.energyxxi.org/sites/default/files/file-tool/assessing_the_impact_of_potential_new_carbon_regulations_in_the_united_states.pdf, [30] thomas hobbes, of man, being the first part of leviathan. chapter xiii of the natural condition of mankind as concerning their felicity and misery , the harvard classics 1909-14, http://www.bartleby.com/34/5/13.html.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

• Enter your email address *

Don’t miss out on the latest news updates from IER’s team of energy experts.

Get Updates From IER

Discovery of Electricity- History, and Timeline

Who Discovered Electricity? What would we do without electricity today? Can we say that anyone invented electricity?   All these types of important questions about the  Discovery of Electricity will be explained in this article. So read the complete article to learn the actual facts about the  discovery of Electricity.  It comes to this most important discovery for us.

Table of Contents

Discovery of Electricity

Just imagine…without electricity, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy our daily Wonder of the day! What a horrible thought!. But don’t worry, Electricity does exist in our life and makes it simple as it allows us to enjoy life in so many ways. Electricity is a form of energy and it occurs in nature since the creation of the universe. So it was not “invented.” However, It was discovered and understood. But the main question is  who discovered it.?

• Current Transformer interview questions

There are so many misconceptions about it.  Most people give credit to the great scientist  Benjamin Franklin  for the  discovery of electricity. But his experiments only helped to establish the connection between lightning and electricity, nothing more. Actually, the truth about the  discovery of electricity is a little bit more complex. It actually goes back more than 2000 years.

History of Electricity

The history of Electricity is more than two thousand years old. In around 600 BC, an Ancient Greek philosopher,  Thales of Miletus  discovered that rubbing animal fur on amber (fossilized tree resin) caused an attraction force between these two. Then what the Greeks discovered was actually static electricity .

In the mid-1700s, Benjamin Franklin became interested in electricity. Up to that time, scientists had mainly known about and experimented with static electricity. Benjamin Franklin came up with the idea that electricity has positive and negative elements and that electricity flows through these elements. He believed that lightning is a form of flowing electricity.

But one of the controversial questions is: Was  Benjamin Franklin really the first person to discover electricity? Maybe not! In the year close to 1600 AD, An English physicist named William Gilbert wrote a book on the attractive nature of amber (fossilized tree resin) and used the Latin word  “electricus” to describe it. Several years later, another Englishman named Sir Thomas Browne is inspired by William Gilbert. He wrote many books and in his books on physics. He came up with the word  Electricity to describe his investigations based on William Gilbert’s work. So Gilbert and Browne are credited with being the first scientists to use the term “ Electricity. “

The first man who discovered a steady flow of electrical charge was Alessandro Volta. Around 1800 century an Italian doctor named Luigi Galvani had found that a frog’s leg twitched when it touched with two different kinds of metals. Then Volta studied Galvani’s observation and he concluded that there is a kind of electrical potential between two metals. Which causes the electrical charge to flow through the frog’s leg and makes it twitch. Volta found that, in the presence of electrical potential, an electrical charge can flow through a metal wire-like water flowing through a pipe. Then He used his observation to invent Electrical batteries.

Are you aware that different types of batteries, like AAA batteries , and transistor batteries, all have different voltages or electrical potentials? Here we have named one of the properties of electricity as electrical potential. After Alessandro Volta, AAA batteries have an electric potential of 1.5 volts, transistor batteries have 9 volts, and car batteries have an electrical potential of about 12 volts. After Alessandro Volta, many other scientists developed the theory of static and moving charges and their connection to magnetism. Among these many scientists including Michael Faraday, discovered that moving magnets move electrical charges. Also, Nikola Tesla investigated the unique consequences of charge moving backward and forward in metal wire instead of in just one direction.

Timeline of Discovery of Electricity

There is no one-word answer to  ‘ Who discovered electricity? ‘ The  discovery of electricity is rather a chain of inventions. Lightning is the most basic form of electricity. It requires lots of great effort to bring this energy into our everyday life.

• In 600 BC,  An Ancient Greek philosopher  Thales of Miletus wrote about the charging of amber by rubbing it on animal fur and got the concept of static electricity.
• In 1600 , William Gilbert first used the Latin word “electricus” for The Greek word  ‘amber’ and later translated it to the word  ‘Electricity’  in English.
• In 1660 , Otto von Guericke developed a machine that produced static electricity.
• In 1675 , Robert Boyle observed that there is an electric force of attraction and repulsion which are transmitted through a vacuum.
• In 1729 , Stephen Gray’s discovery for the conduction of electricity gave a new dimension to the idea of electricity.
• In 1733, Charles Francois du Fay found that electricity has two forms. He termed them, as resinous (-) and vitreous (+).  Later it was renamed as negative and positive by Benjamin Franklin and Ebenezer Kinnersley.
• On 15 th  June 1752 , Benjamin Franklin, promoted his theory, through his experiment of flying a kite during lightning. In appreciation of his work with electricity, Franklin was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society and was honored with the Copley Medal in 1753.
• Girolamo Cardano from Italy, first time distinguished electrical and magnetic forces through his writings.
• Michael Faraday discovered that moving a magnet inside a coil could generate electricity. Then after he built the first electric motor. Later he also built a generator and a transformer. This became his valued contribution to the field of electromagnetism.
• Alessandro Volta discovered that chemical reactions could be used to create a potential difference. The difference in electric potentials could lead to the flow of an electric current. The unit of potential difference has been named ‘volt’ in his honor.
• Thomas Alva Edison made a major contribution to the harnessing of electricity. He is given credit for the discovery of the electric bulb.
• Nikola Tesla Contributed to the design of an Electricity supply system that uses Alternating Current (AC).

Hey, I'm Satish Gupta an Engineer by profession and blogger by passion. I am writer and founder of this blog, Here I publish contents related to Electrical and Electronics Engineering..

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Why Electricity Is The Greatest Invention

By: Author Valerie Forgeard

Posted on Published: May 12, 2023  - Last updated: July 1, 2023

Categories Society

Have you ever thought about how different life would be without electricity?

From powering our homes and workplaces to keeping our devices charged and running smoothly, electricity is essential to our daily lives.

This article will explore why electricity is considered the greatest invention in human history.

Imagine a World Without Electricity

Imagine a world without electricity – no lights to guide you at night, no smartphones or computers to keep you connected, and no modern transportation to take you places. Sounds limiting.

Well, that’s because electricity has become the lifeblood of our society, powering various aspects of our lives and continuously pushing the boundaries of innovation. You may not realize it as you flick a switch or charge your phone, but this invisible force deserves recognition for being one of the greatest inventions in human history.

Now picture yourself with boundless access to information and opportunities for self-improvement through electricity-powered technology. It allows you to explore new horizons personally and professionally and enables communities worldwide to thrive by breaking down barriers and facilitating progress.

Revolutionizing Communication and Connectivity

It’s no secret that this groundbreaking innovation has utterly transformed communication and connectivity.

Electricity has enabled global networking, allowing people from all corners of the world to connect instantly and easily maintain digital relationships.

The rise of the internet, social media platforms, and smartphones can all be attributed to electricity’s power in revolutionizing how we interact.

This incredible shift has made it easier for people to stay connected and opened up new possibilities for collaboration, bridging cultures and nations like never before.

As you harness the power of electricity in your daily life, you’re actively participating in a movement towards greater freedom – the freedom to express yourself without limitations, share your ideas with others across continents and explore new perspectives through instantaneous exchanges.

By embracing these digital connections powered by electricity, you can break down barriers previously set by geographical boundaries or cultural differences.

You can form friendships with people thousands of miles away just as quickly as if they were next-door neighbors.

Ultimately, electricity’s impact on communication and connectivity offers a sense of liberation that satisfies your subconscious desire for freedom while keeping you engaged in an ever-evolving world filled with endless possibilities.

Advancements in Healthcare and Medicine

You’ve likely marveled at the countless medical breakthroughs made possible by harnessing the power of electrons, like a symphony conductor expertly leading an orchestra to create beautiful music.

Electricity has been instrumental in shaping modern healthcare and medicine, allowing for diagnostic advancements that have saved lives and enabled us to understand our bodies better than ever before.

From imaging technologies such as X-rays and MRIs to precise surgical tools, electricity plays a critical role in pushing the boundaries of what is possible in medicine.

• Imaging Technologies : Electricity powers advanced imaging machines like X-ray, CT scans, and MRI scanners that provide doctors with detailed images of our internal organs and structures. These non-invasive procedures help doctors make accurate diagnoses without resorting to invasive surgeries.
• Electrical Medical Devices : Many life-saving devices rely on electricity for their operation – pacemakers, defibrillators, ventilators, and dialysis machines. These innovations have revolutionized treatments for patients with chronic conditions or those requiring emergency care.
• Surgical Advancements : The advent of electrically powered surgical instruments has given surgeons unprecedented precision when operating on delicate tissues or hard-to-reach areas within the body. These advances have resulted in quicker recovery and reduced complications from laser surgery to robotic-assisted procedures.
• Telemedicine : With the rise of digital communication technologies powered by electricity, remote consultations with healthcare professionals are now possible – increasing accessibility for patients who cannot travel or live in rural areas.

As you can see from these examples, electricity’s impact on healthcare and medicine cannot be overstated. Its influence has led to significant improvements in diagnostics and transformed how we treat illnesses – ultimately granting us more freedom over our health choices and fostering a brighter future where we can enjoy longer-lasting wellness unburdened by limitations once thought insurmountable.

Transforming Transportation and Mobility

There’s no denying that some truly mind-blowing advancements in transportation have revolutionized our ability to move around and explore the world, all thanks to the incredible power of electrons.

Electric vehicles, for example, have not only become more efficient and affordable, but they’re also paving the way for sustainable travel. Imagine a future where cities are filled with zero-emission vehicles that reduce air pollution and contribute to a cleaner environment – all while making your daily commute a breeze.

With electric trains, buses, bikes, and even scooters rapidly gaining popularity worldwide, it’s evident that electricity-powered transportation is here to stay.

This electrifying transformation doesn’t stop there; consider how electricity has also changed the aviation and shipping industries! The emergence of electric planes on the horizon promises reduced emissions and noise pollution levels; soon enough, we can traverse great distances without leaving an enormous carbon footprint behind.

Meanwhile, innovative technologies like electric ferries redefine maritime travel by offering eco-friendly alternatives to traditional fuel sources.

As battery technology continues to improve and charging infrastructure expands globally, we’re inching closer toward a world where mobility is as environmentally responsible as it is efficient – giving you the freedom you crave without compromising Mother Earth’s well-being.

Driving Technological Innovations

You’d be amazed at how technological innovations constantly push the boundaries of what’s possible while making our lives easier and more connected.

Electricity has been a critical driver for this progress, opening the door to sustainable energy solutions and industrial automation that have revolutionized industries across the globe. The ability to harness electrical power has enabled us to create renewable energy sources such as solar panels and wind turbines, minimizing our reliance on fossil fuels and contributing to a cleaner environment for future generations. Furthermore, electricity powers our factories through advanced robotics and automated systems, increasing efficiency while reducing human error.

Beyond these remarkable achievements in sustainability and productivity, electricity has ignited countless other technological advancements that enrich our daily lives. From smartphones keeping us connected with loved ones to medical devices saving lives in hospitals worldwide, electricity is essential to modern life.

It continues to fuel groundbreaking research in fields like artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and space exploration – enabling us to push past existing limitations and explore new frontiers.

So take a moment to appreciate just how transformative electricity truly is; without it, many of today’s most cherished conveniences would remain figments of our imagination.

Impact on Education and Knowledge Access

Imagine a world without the magic of Google at your fingertips or the ability to binge-watch your favorite educational documentaries on Netflix – it’s genuinely a dark thought.

Electricity has played an enormous role in bridging the digital divide and boosting global literacy. Before electricity, access to knowledge was primarily limited to those who could afford books or had the privilege of attending schools. Today, with electricity powering our digital devices and internet connections, information is available to almost anyone who seeks it. This increased accessibility has significantly empowered individuals from various backgrounds and circumstances.

Electricity’s impact on education goes far beyond making content more accessible; it also enhances teaching methods and helps create engaging learning environments. Interactive whiteboards, virtual labs, and online classrooms all use electric power to function effectively. These tools have revolutionized traditional teaching strategies by fostering collaboration among students and teachers across geographical boundaries and catering to different learning styles.

Furthermore, electricity allows educators to track student progress efficiently through data analysis software that can identify areas for improvement and suggest personalized solutions for each learner’s needs. In short, electricity has democratized access to knowledge and raised the quality of education worldwide, igniting a brighter future for us all.

In conclusion, you can’t imagine a world without electricity; it’s the lifeblood of modern society. Your every whim and desire are powered by this magical force that makes life infinitely more comfortable, connected, and dynamic.

Without a doubt, electricity has become the ultimate superhero of inventions. It swoops in to save you from darkness and boredom while propelling humanity into a future filled with endless possibilities. So, embrace its power and be forever grateful for this game-changing discovery!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is electricity.

Electricity is a form of energy that results from the flow of electric charge.

Who discovered electricity?

While no one is credited with discovering electricity, Benjamin Franklin is often considered the father of electricity due to his famous kite experiment.

Why is electricity considered the most remarkable invention?

Electricity is the most remarkable invention because it has transformed every aspect of our daily lives. Electricity has revolutionized the world, from powering our homes and workplaces to improving communication and transportation.

How has electricity impacted society?

Electricity has had a profound impact on society. It has led to technological advancements, improved health, and hygiene, made global communication possible, and increased economic growth.

What are some benefits of electricity?

Some benefits of electricity include increased productivity, improved quality of life, and enhanced communication and entertainment.

What would the world look like without electricity?

Without electricity, the world would look vastly different. Most industries would grind to a halt, communication would be limited, and healthcare would be severely impacted.

Are there any downsides to relying on electricity as a society?

While the benefits of electricity are numerous, there are also downsides to relying on it as a society. These include environmental impacts from power generation, potential security risks from cyber attacks, and the potential for power outages and disruptions.

What is the future of electricity?

The future of electricity is focused on sustainability and renewable energy sources. This includes the development of solar, wind, and hydropower, as well as improvements in energy storage technology.

How has electricity impacted the environment?

Electricity production has significantly impacted the environment, particularly greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. However, developing renewable energy sources offers a potential solution to these problems.

Can we ever honestly imagine life without electricity?

While it is difficult to imagine life without electricity, it is essential to remember that it is a relatively recent invention. Humans lived for thousands of years without it, and it is possible to adapt to a world without it if necessary. However, the benefits of electricity make it highly unlikely that we will ever abandon it altogether.

Welcome to Gale International

You appear to be visiting us from United States . Please head to Gale North American site if you are located in the USA or Canada. If you are located outside of North America please visit the Gale International site.

Technological Developments: Electricity

Rebecca whyte.

The nineteenth century was a key period in the development of scientific knowledge about electricity. Electricity was transformed from a scientific curiosity into a practical tool, which was increasingly present in the lives of ordinary people. There were two threads of development: first the scientific developments in the theory and understanding of electricity, then the related developments in the practical uses of electricity for everyday purposes. Electrical phenomena had been of interest to scientists for hundreds of years, although purely as a matter of intellectual curiosity until after 1600. Even by 1800, the ideas of the physical phenomena connected with electricity were relatively confused. This was to change during the nineteenth century, when significant developments in the understanding of various aspects of electricity occurred. These were not limited to one country or group of scientists, but relied on acquaintances and links which transcended local and national boundaries. Nineteenth-century advances began with the invention of the Voltaic pile, which was completed in 1800. The culmination of the work of the Italian Alessandro Volta, the Voltaic pile (which consisted of a series of electrical cells, thus forming a battery) provided the first means of generating a continuous electrical current. This changed electricity from a transient phenomenon to one which could be properly studied. The fruits of this invention appeared rapidly. Within a year, Nicholson and Carlisle managed to electrolyse water. It was further used by Humphry Davy to decompose various substances, leading to the discovery of potassium and sodium. The battery was developed further during the nineteenth century. The first mass-produced battery was designed by William Cruickshank, and was the default until the invention of the non-polarising cell in 1836. The cell, a primary battery, was further improved in 1868 by Georges Leclanché, making it a reliable source of power. As well as primary batteries, secondary batteries also came to play an important role in the practical use of electricity, as they allowed electricity to be stored and saved until it was needed. These batteries were an integral part of the direct current systems used for domestic electricity production. The nineteenth century therefore saw significant developments in the battery as a way to produce and store electricity. Another key area of development was in the field of electromagnetism. In 1819, the Danish scientist Hans Christian Ørsted discovered that a compass needle deflected away from a wire containing electrical current. This provoked more research within the field. André-Marie Ampère, a French scientist, quickly picked up on Ørsted's discoveries, developing a mathematical theory which explained the electromagnetic phenomena already observed, and predicted many others. Michael Faraday, the British chemist and physicist, built upon this work and made some extremely significant discoveries in the field. In 1831, his experiments led him to discover mutual induction, a form of electromagnetic induction, laying the foundations for many subsequent developments. Over the next few decades, various scientists and experimenters attempted to learn more about and improve upon these mechanisms, with these efforts leading to patchy and complicated advances. However, the principle of the induction coil was better understood and advanced in this period, impacting on further developments. Advances in electromagnetism were important for the development of the mechanical generation of electricity. The study of the link between motion and electricity began in the 1820s and 1830s, and the first patent was obtained by Thomas Davenport in 1837. The machines were based on theory rather than efficient practice and had little impact. The next few decades saw further developments in the principle of electrical movement. A significant development was Tesla's invention of the induction motor in 1883, a device which had previously been thought impossible. Advances in electromagnetic understanding also led to the development of the generator. A major step towards effective generators was the introduction of "self-excitation". This used the current produced by the generator to energise its own wires. Several individuals hit upon the discovery independently in 1866, and the late 1860s saw significant developments in this type of model. This development in the generation of electricity made current more reliable, and led to renewed interest in electric lighting. Electrical generation technology continued to improve during the rest of the century, and by 1887 the first high-pressure power station in the world was constructed at Deptford. It was not a commercial success, but it demonstrated the viability of the large scale production and dissemination of electricity. The development of induction coils also led to the development of the transformer, which could transfer electrical energy from one circuit to another by inductively-coupled conductors. The use of such devices had been suggested for several decades, and a practical system was developed by Gaulard and Gibbs in 1883. This allowed voltages to be altered between circuits, solving several practical problems associated with the transfer of electricity over long distances and connecting equipment of different voltages to the same supply. Until the 1880s, almost all transformers were the "open" type, lacking an iron bar connecting the circuit. There was controversy over the efficiency of these models, but the practicalities demonstrated that "closed" transformers were more efficient, and these became the norm by the end of the century. The development of transformers demonstrated the importance of practical knowledge as well as theory in the development of electricity. Another key aspect of the development of electrical technology was the "war of the currents". The conflict concerned whether electrical supply should be provided by direct current (DC), usually produced by batteries, or alternating current (AC), produced by generators. Alongside a number of practical problems with generation, storage and demand fluctuations, the debate also involved contentious discussions of the relative safety of each system, with the key proponents on both sides arguing that the other system posed a threat to the safety of users and the general public. However, the practical problems of the DC system and the advantages of the AC system for transmission over long distances meant that by 1900 the AC system had been accepted as the most suitable for public supply, although much domestic electricity continued to be produced on the DC system. Alongside developments in the understanding of electrical phenomena, towards the end of the nineteenth-century technological developments increasingly made electricity a practical tool. The first of these was the telegraph. The idea had been suggested in the eighteenth century, but the discovery of electromagnetic forces in the nineteenth century enabled it to be developed further. The first commercially viable telegraph was developed by Cooke and Wheatstone in 1837, closely followed by Samuel Morse's system in 1838. All of the systems relied on the deflection of magnetised needles from an electric current. Morse's invention was initially regarded as a curiosity, and Cooke and Wheatstone's telegraph was not initially commercially successful. Nevertheless, telegraphs soon became more widespread. In 1870-1, 9.8 million messages were sent within the UK. The impact on communications within and between nations was dramatic. Submarine telegraph cables were developed later, after the discovery of suitable coating material for the wires, and the first (albeit short lived) cross-Channel cables were laid in 1850, followed in 1866 by longer-lasting cables across the Atlantic. By the end of the century, telegraphy had become the main electric technology with which the average person was familiar. Other communications technologies were developed in the nineteenth century. A crude system for transmitting sound by electricity was invented in the 1860s, but it was not until the parallel work of Bell, and House and Grey that the telephone was invented. Bell is frequently credited with the invention, but much of the work was undertaken at the same time by House and Grey. Although Bell was granted the patent for the invention in 1875 it proved very contentious, leading to over 600 law suits. Telephony then developed rapidly. The nineteenth century also saw the discovery and development of radio. In 1877, Clerk Maxwell published his famous 'Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism', in which he proved the existence of and predicted many of the properties of the waves which later became known as radio waves. In 1886, Heinrich Rudolf Hertz demonstrated the production and detection of these waves, and in 1896 Guglielmo Marconi used them for radio communication over a couple of miles. The first commercial radio company was founded in 1897, and the first commercial message sent in 1898. The close of the nineteenth century therefore saw the first stirrings of electrical communications technology, as regards telephony and radio. Another application of electricity was lighting. The first type to be developed was arc lighting, which relied on a current running between two carbon rods to cause a series of sparks and thus light. The electrical principles behind this had first been demonstrated by Davy in 1802, but practical problems meant that the technology took several decades to develop further. Significant development occurred in 1876 with the invention of the Jablochkoff candle, an improved version of the arc light which burnt out less rapidly. Arc lamps began to appear in public places from 1878 onwards. Many more patents were lodged in the 1880s and 1890s, but the two most important developments in arc lights were the "enclosure" of the light in a glass tube and the addition of flame-providing salts to the carbon rods. By 1890, about 1,400 arc lamps were in use in England, increasing to around 21,400 by 1910. However, arc lamps were superseded by a new, more reliable and convenient form of lighting: incandescent lighting. In 1860, John Wanamaker, an English scientist, invented what is commonly regarded as the first incandescent lamp. However, the problems associated with the filament burning out rapidly meant that little progress in the technology was made over the next twenty years. No practical lamp could appear until a suitable vacuum could be produced within the bulb; this was achieved with the invention of the Sprengel mercury pump in 1875. Improved filaments were also necessary, with various experiments being undertaken by figures including Swan and Edison. These two, among others, eventually came up with viable filaments, and started producing lamps commercially from around 1880 onwards. There were serious disputes between Edison and Swan as to who had developed the improvements, and disputes over the fact Edison had acquired the patent, but the Swan company amalgamated with the Edison company in 1883, thus bringing an end to the problems. While the patent lasted, the bulbs were relatively expensive, but dropped in price as demand increased. The patent expired in 1893 and the Edison company encountered significant competition from other manufacturers. The 1890s saw further development in the filament lamp, with various metals being used as filaments, culminating in the tungsten filament lamp, first introduced in 1909. Electric lighting became increasing utilised in public places in the late nineteenth century. Public spaces including the British Library, were among the first to employ the bright and harsh arc lighting. Electric lighting also began to enter the domestic sphere from the 1880s onwards, although at first only the aristocracy could afford the expensive and as yet experimental lighting technology. Electricity within the home was regarded as dangerous by some, and was presented as such by its opponents, including the gas industry. Early light bulbs were relatively quick to break, relatively expensive, and were feared as a potential cause of fire. Home generators could be unreliable, as could some mains electricity. The 1882 Electric Lighting Act put the burden of safety on the suppliers of mains electricity, and various safety expedients were developed. However, despite these problems the number of houses with domestic lighting in the London area grew from a dozen in the mid-1880s to a few thousand by the end of the decade. This number continued to rise up to the end of the century, demonstrating the increasingly wide acceptance of electrical lighting within the home as a replacement for gas lighting. The nineteenth century saw important developments in the understanding of the science behind electricity, with work by scientific greats such as Faraday laying the foundations for the development of more practical technology which turned electricity from a scientific curiosity into a day-to-day practical tool, laying the foundations for the mass electrification programmes which would emerge in the twentieth century.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bowers, B. A History of Electric Light and Power . Stevenage: Peter Peregrinus, 1982.

Cavicchi, E. "Nineteenth century developments in coiled instruments and experiences with electromagnetic induction," Annals of Science 63 (July 2006): 319-61.

Chant, C. (ed.)  Science, Technology and Everyday Life 1870-1950 . London: Routledge/The Open University, 1989.

Crowther, J.G.  British Scientists of the Nineteenth Century . London: Kegan Paul, 1935.

Dibner, B.  Alessandro Volta and the Electric Battery . New York: Franklin Watts, 1964.

Dillon, M.  Artificial Sunshine: a Social History of Domestic Lighting . London: The National Trust, 2002.

Dunsheath, P. (ed.)  A Century of Technology, 1851-1951 . London: Hutchinsons, 1951.

Foreman Peck, J. "Competition, co-operation and nationalisation in the nineteenth century telegraph system,"  Business History  31 (July 1989): 81-102.

Gooday, G.  Domesticating Electricity: Technology, Uncertainty and Gender, 1880- 1914 . London: Pickering and Chatto, 2008.

Hofman, J R.  André-Marie Ampère . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995.

Hong, S. "Efficiency and authority in the 'open versus closed' transformer controversy,"  Annals of Science  52 (January 1995): 49-75.

James, F. Michael Faraday, entry in the Dictionary of National Biography , http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/9153

Knight, D. Sir Humphry Davy, entry in the Dictionary of National Biography , http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/7314?docPos=2

Luckin, B . Question of Power: Electricity and Environment in Interwar Britain . Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1990.

McNichol, T.  AC/DC: The Savage Tale of the First Standards War . San Francisco: Jossey Bass, 2006.

Mills, A. "Early Voltaic batteries: an evaluation in modern units and application to the work of Davy and Faraday,"  Annals of Science  60 (2003): 373-98.

Morus, I.R. "The sociology of sparks: an episode in the history and meaning of electricity,"  Social Studies of Science  18 (August 1998): 387-417.

Nye, D.E . Technology Matters: Questions to Live With . Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2006.

Ross, S.  Nineteenth Century Attitudes: Men of Science . London: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1991.

Thomas, J.M.  Michael Faraday and the Royal Institution: The Genius of Man and Place . Bristol: Adam Hilger, 1991.

Tricker, R.A.  Early Electrodynamics: the First Law of Circulation . Oxford: Pergamon Press, 1965.

Whittaker, E.  A History of the Theories of Aether and Electricity: The Classical Theories . London: Thomas Nelson and Sons, 1910.

CITATION: Whyte, Rebecca: "Technological Developments: Electricity."  British Library Newspapers . Detroit: Gale, 2007.

Any views and opinions expressed in these essays are those of the author in question, and any views or opinions from the original source material are those of the publication in question. Gale, part of Cengage Group, provides facsimile reproductions of original sources and do not endorse or dispute the content contained in them. Author affiliation and information within them are correct as of the original publication date.

• DOI: 10.2139/SSRN.2876929
• Corpus ID: 114410652

History of Electricity

• Rochelle Forrester
• Published 10 November 2016
• History, Physics

19 Citations

Electric fluid to electric current: the problematic attempts of abstraction to concretization, history of physics as a heuristic device to anticipate students’ ideas: the case of electrostatics, emphasizing the role of the insulator in electric circuits: toward a more symmetric approach to insulator and conductor in the instruction of electricity, dammed if you do: how sunk costs are dragging canadian electricity ratepayers underwater, industry willingness to pay for adequate electricity supply: a discourse on sustainable industrial development, technical and economic feasibility assessment of a car park as power plant offering frequency reserves, pocket-hydro turbine into capsule hydro turbine, revisiting the link between electrification and fertility: evidence from the early 20th century united states.

• Highly Influenced

MODERATING EFFECTS OF WEATHER CONDITIONS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ELECTRICITY SUPPLY RELIABILITY AND SME SUSTAINABILITY

Modelling efficiency of electric utilities using three stage virtual frontier data envelopment analysis with variable selection by loads method, related papers.

Showing 1 through 3 of 0 Related Papers

Home / Essay Samples / Science / Electricity / Illuminating the Past: How Electricity Has Changed Our Lives

Illuminating the Past: How Electricity Has Changed Our Lives

• Category: Science , Sociology
• Topic: Electricity , Society

Pages: 4 (1735 words)

Views: 4497

• Downloads: -->

--> ⚠️ Remember: This essay was written and uploaded by an--> click here.

Found a great essay sample but want a unique one?

are ready to help you with your essay

You won’t be charged yet!

Hate Speech Essays

Rhetorical Strategies Essays

Socialization Essays

Gossip Essays

Conversation Essays

Related Essays

We are glad that you like it, but you cannot copy from our website. Just insert your email and this sample will be sent to you.

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service  and  Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Your essay sample has been sent.

In fact, there is a way to get an original essay! Turn to our writers and order a plagiarism-free paper.

samplius.com uses cookies to offer you the best service possible.By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .--> -->