Spark Your Knowledge of the History of Electricity

Decades before J.J. Thompson discovered the electron in 1897, French chemist André-Marie Ampère theorized that there must be an “electrodynamic molecule” that’s responsible for electricity. This proved to be correct on a subatomic scale — as electrons get kicked out of their outer “valence” shells, they travel to another atom, and this journey is known as electricity. Today, Ampère is considered one of the fathers of electromagnetism.

In 1745, Pieter van Musschenbroek invented the first device that could store electric charge. Called the Leyden jar, after Musschenbroek’s hometown of Leiden, Netherlands, the invention spurred on an age of electricians who showcased electric wonders around the globe. Today, the Leyden jar is considered a proto-capacitor.

The Chicago Pile-1, secretly constructed under Stagg Field at the University of Chicago by Italian physicist Enrico Fermi, is the world’s very first nuclear reactor. Requiring 40,000 pounds of graphite blocks and discs of refined uranium, the pile went online on December 2, 1942, producing only 0.5 watts of power for 30 minutes. However, its progeny would become a major source of electricity for an energy-hungry world.

The modern electrical grid wouldn’t exist without Nikola Tesla’s groundbreaking invention of alternating current. However, George Westinghouse played a pivotal — though often less talked-about — role in making Tesla’s invention a reality. Westinghouse invented the transformer so that high-voltage AC current could be brought down to low voltages for use in homes. This enabled power stations to be placed hundreds of miles outside populated urban centers.

Among science’s all-time greats, there are such luminaries as Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, and John Clerk Maxwell, whose theory of electromagnetic radiation — inspired by the work of Michael Faraday — created the foundation of modern physics. Maxwell’s equations are famous for uniting the then-disparate concepts of electricity and magnetism.

Thales of Miletus was one of the Seven Wise Men of ancient Greece and is regarded by historians as the world’s first scientist. Among his many accomplishments, Thales was the first to investigate the nature of static electricity. The ancient thinker rubbed amber against animal fur and studied its attraction to materials such as ash and dust.

As early as 2750 BCE, long before humans learned to harness electricity with magnets and other devices, the ancient Egyptians observed electricity as it naturally occurs in electric fish. The Nile River contained electric catfish, now known as the species Malapterurus electricus. Egyptians referred to these creatures as the “thunderers of the Nile,” believing they were protectors of the other fish in the river.

Thomas Edison is usually credited with inventing the lightbulb, but credit should actually go to chemist Joseph Swan. Edison improved upon Swan’s lightbulb design by swapping carbonized paper filaments for tungsten filaments. The two eventually joined together to form Edison-Swan United, which became the largest manufacturer of lightbulbs in the world.

In 1749, Benjamin Franklin used the term “battery” when he linked a collection of Leyden jars together. Franklin used the term because the jars reminded him of a collection of military artillery known as a “battery.” The term was repurposed in the 19th century to describe an electrochemical storage system.

Dynamo was the original name of the generator, invented in 1831. The original device generated a continuous direct current of electricity using magnets. Since most modern electrical devices now use alternating current, today’s generators have been adapted to produce alternating current, and are also called alternators.

The ampere, a unit of electric current in the International System of Units (SI), is named for French physicist André-Marie Ampère. Tesla is a unit of magnetic field intensity named after the American inventor. Finally, Georg Ohm is the namesake of the ohm, a unit of electric resistance. But Thomas Edison — for all his contributions to the world of electricity — doesn’t have any SI units in his name.

The Pearl Street Station in New York City was the first central power plant in the U.S. The station, owned by Thomas Edison, opened in 1882 and provided electricity to over 500 customers in lower Manhattan during its first two years of operation. Unfortunately, the station burned down on January 2, 1890.

Michael Faraday was a self-taught scientist who discovered the laws of electromagnetic induction, invented the first electric motor, and developed one of the earliest versions of the dynamo. He also coined many scientific terms still used today, including "electrode," "cathode," and "ion." His 1850s lab has been replicated and remains on display at the Royal Institution in England.

The Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant in the Soviet Union (now Russia) was the world’s first nuclear power plant used for electricity. Prior to the plant’s commission in 1954, nuclear plants had been used exclusively for military purposes, but the Obninsk plant fed into the existing power grid, providing electricity to citizens in the area. The plant was decommissioned in 2002.

Italian physicist Alessandro Volta invented the battery, the first device to produce a continuous electric current. Originally called the voltaic pile or column, the battery was composed of alternating disks of zinc and silver, separated by a cloth soaked in conductive fluid. The volt — a unit of electromagnetic force — was named after Volta in 1881.

Before solar panels were strapped to our roofs, they were used to power some of the most sophisticated machinery the mid-20th century had to offer. On March 17, 1958, NASA launched the Vanguard 1 satellite, which was armed with a photovoltaic (solar panel) power supply. Since then, the technology has grown exponentially more efficient, and today, Vanguard 1 continues its orbit around the Earth.

Electricity is only one part of electromagnetism as theorized by John Clerk Maxwell in the 1860s. Electromagnetic radiation includes radio waves, cosmic rays (gamma radiation), and everything in between, such as X-rays, UV light, and microwaves. However, gravity does not fall under this umbrella, as it is an entirely different fundamental force.

Starting in the late 1880s, the “War of the Currents” involved inventors Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla. Edison believed that his invention of the direct current (DC) electrical system was superior to Tesla’s alternating current (AC). Tesla’s AC system ultimately emerged as the victor when he won the bid to provide the electricity for the 1893 World’s Fair. AC is now used by more than 80% of electrical devices in the U.S.

Before electricity, people used animal fat, oil, and wax candles for lighting. Wealthier people used wax candles and oil lamps, while poorer households used tallow candles or quick-burning rush lights dipped in animal fat. The flashlight wasn’t invented until the 1890s, and electricity supplied directly to homes wasn’t common until the late-19th century.

During his famous electricity experiment, Benjamin Franklin tied a metal key to the hemp string of a kite. Contrary to popular myth, the kite wasn’t struck by lightning, but it did pick up an ambient electrical charge, which Franklin felt when he touched the key. This experiment proved that lightning itself is electricity.