History of Electricity

The history of electricity starts as many great ideas do. Scientists knew it existed, but they did not know who to explain it. As far back as 1600 AD, man knew that rubbing amber against a cloth would attract particles. However, this phenomenon did not have a name until Dr. William Gilbert wrote a report about the theory of magnetism and used the word electric.

Benjamin Franklin is often associated with thought of when someone mentions the history of electricity. A scientist himself, he experimented with amber and lightening to prove they were the same thing. Alessandro Volta discovered that when moisture comes between two metal objects, such as a knife and a tin plate, electricity is created. He changed the history of electricity by later becoming the inventor of the first battery. It was after him that the unit of electrical potential, a volt, was named.

Michael Faraday experimented with the idea that if electricity could produce magnetism, that magnetism could create electricity. He discovered this could happen by motion. An important moment in the history of electricity occurred when Thomas Edison created the first practical direct current (DC) generator. He used this generator and the filament lamp he has also created to light his laboratories. By 1882, the streets of New York City were lit by streetlamps running on electricity.

Another inventor who is well known in the history of electricity is Nikola Tesla. He saw problems with using DC to generate electricity and by working with George Westinghouse, helped America switch over to AC. Telsa’s name is used to measure a unit of magnetic fields.
If you have ever wondered why the electrical unit of power is known as a watt, it is because of James Watt. He was the inventor of the steam condensing engine and his engine was combined with Edison’s generator to create large scale electricity generation.