Otis Singleton
The discovery of electricity is often credited to Benjamin Franklin, who, in the mid-1700s, became interested in the phenomenon and conducted experiments to understand it better. However, the word electricity was already in use before Franklin, and English physician William Gilbert had used the Latin word electricus even earlier. So, while Franklin is known for his experiments with electricity, he did not discover it. In the early 1700s, decades before Franklin's kite experiment, English scientist Francis Hauksbee made a glass ball that glowed when rubbed, demonstrating electrical attraction and repulsion. This discovery would eventually lead to neon lighting centuries later.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Electricity in the 1700s | English scientist Francis Hauksbee made a glass ball that glowed when rubbed while experimenting with electrical attraction and repulsion. |
| The glow was bright enough to read by, and this discovery would eventually lead to neon lighting a few centuries later. | |
| Benjamin Franklin became interested in electricity in the mid-1700s and conducted his famous kite experiment in 1752. | |
| Who discovered electricity? | Most people credit Benjamin Franklin with discovering electricity, but he did not invent it. |
| The word electricity was already in use before him by Thomas Browne. | |
| English physician William Gilbert first used the Latin word 'electricus'. |
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What You'll Learn
English scientist Francis Hauksbee's glass ball experiment
In the early 1700s, English scientist Francis Hauksbee made a glass ball that glowed when rubbed, demonstrating electrical attraction and repulsion. This discovery was unprecedented at the time and would eventually lead to neon lighting a few centuries later.
Hauksbee was born in 1660 and died in April 1713. He was an instrument maker and experimental demonstrator, and was employed by the Royal Society to conduct regular experiments for their weekly meetings. He was also Isaac Newton's lab assistant and became a member of the Royal Society in 1703.
Hauksbee's first experiments concerned "barometric light", a phenomenon that had been previously investigated but not understood. He discovered that if he rubbed a glass tube with a cloth, the glass became electrically charged and would attract bits of chaff. He also discovered that all you need to produce light by attrition (rubbing) is to rub something in a partial vacuum.
Hauksbee made an air pump, an evacuated glass vessel, and a mechanism that could rotate an object inside the vessel. He then wondered if evacuated glass tubes would produce barometric light, and found that they did. However, the tubes lost their electric charge when evacuated. So, he made another piece of apparatus to generate light: instead of rotating and rubbing things inside an evacuated vessel, he rotated the evacuated vessel and rubbed it with his hands on the outside. This apparatus worked, and he could produce a bright glow by rubbing the rotating globe with his hands.
Hauksbee called this apparatus a "triboelectric generator", and it was the world's first static electricity generator. When rediscovered in the 1740s, it made possible the discovery of a wealth of new electrical phenomena, including the devastating Leyden jar. Hauksbee published the results of his work in 1709 in "Physico-Mechanical Experiments on Various Subjects", which collected many of his experiments and discussions that summarised his scientific work.
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Benjamin Franklin's kite experiment
In the mid-1700s, Benjamin Franklin, one of the greatest scientific minds of his time, became interested in electricity. Before Franklin, scientists had mainly known about and experimented with static electricity. Franklin, however, believed that electricity had positive and negative elements and that electricity flowed between these elements. He also believed that lightning was a form of this flowing electricity.
In 1752, Franklin proposed an experiment to test his theory that lightning was a form of electricity. The experiment was first conducted in May 1752 at Marly-la-Ville in northern France by Thomas-François Dalibard. Franklin himself is said to have conducted the experiment in June 1752 in Philadelphia.
Here's how the experiment worked: Franklin constructed a simple kite and attached a wire to the top of it to act as a lightning rod. To the bottom of the kite, he attached a hemp string, and to that, he attached a silk string. The hemp, wetted by the rain, would conduct an electrical charge quickly, while the silk string, kept dry by Franklin, wouldn't. The last piece of the puzzle was a metal key, which Franklin attached to the hemp string. With his son William's help, they got the kite aloft and waited for a lightning storm. The kite picked up the ambient electrical charge from the storm, demonstrating that lightning and electricity were indeed the same.
Franklin's experiment did not discover electricity, but it did demonstrate the connection between lightning and electricity. This experiment and others like it laid the foundation for future innovations in electricity.
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Thomas Edison's incandescent light bulbs
In the early 1700s, English scientist Francis Hauksbee made a glass ball that glowed when rubbed, producing light. This was decades before Benjamin Franklin's kite experiment in 1752, which further explored the idea that electricity produced by static charges is the same as lightning.
Thomas Edison, the legendary inventor with over a thousand patents to his name, did not invent the incandescent light bulb, but he did play a significant role in improving it. Before Edison's improvements, electric light bulbs had existed since the early 19th century, but they were delicate and short-lived due to issues with their filaments. Edison's work on the incandescent light bulb helped make lighting affordable and accessible worldwide. This accessibility was furthered by the use of Edison's direct current (DC) system to power the first American home with hydroelectricity in 1882.
Edison's improvements to the light bulb brought light into people's homes across the globe. His work on the incandescent light bulb is one of his most famous contributions to the world of technology, alongside his work on motion pictures, fluoroscopy, and batteries. During his lifetime, he gained 1,093 patents in the US alone and was known for his ceaseless energy for invention and his willingness to try new things.
The incandescent light bulb was not Edison's first groundbreaking invention. In 1877, he invented the Edison Speaking Phonograph, which could record and play back sound. The same year, he also developed an improved microphone transmitter, helping refine the telephone. Edison's reputation as one of the greatest minds in American history was well-earned through his numerous innovations and his ability to apply himself tirelessly to his work.
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The first power plant in the US
In the 1700s, the understanding and utilisation of electricity were still in their infancy. While the English scientist Francis Hauksbee made a glass ball that glowed when rubbed in the early 1700s, it wasn't until 1752 that Benjamin Franklin demonstrated that lightning was electrical with his famous kite experiment. This discovery sparked further exploration of electricity, but it was still decades away from becoming a common source of power.
Pearl Street Station was a direct current (DC) generating station and only powered a small portion of Manhattan. However, it was a significant milestone as it was the forerunner of all central electric generating stations. Edison's system used high-resistance filament lamps, improved constant voltage dynamos, junction boxes, safety fuses, insulating materials, consumption meters, light fixtures, and switches.
Prior to establishing Pearl Street Station, Edison had set up companies to manufacture the necessary equipment and components for his system. He had also conducted experiments with filament materials, eventually developing the first practical incandescent light in 1879. Edison's earlier installations, such as the one at Hinds, Ketcham & Company in New York City in 1881, served only one customer from a dynamo in the building's basement.
Pearl Street Station burned down in 1890, with most of it being destroyed except for one dynamo, which is now kept in the Greenfield Village Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. It was rebuilt and operated until 1895 when it was decommissioned due to larger and more efficient plants being built nearby.
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Sources of electricity in the 1700s
In the 1700s, the understanding of electricity was limited to static electricity, and scientists of the time experimented with electrical attraction and repulsion. One of the most notable figures in the history of electricity, Benjamin Franklin, became interested in electricity in the mid-1700s. Franklin is known for his kite experiment in 1752, which explored the idea that lightning was a form of electricity produced by static charges.
English scientist Francis Hauksbee, decades before Franklin's kite experiment, created a glass ball that glowed when rubbed, demonstrating electrical attraction and repulsion. This discovery would eventually lead to neon lighting centuries later.
During the 1700s, coal came into use as a major energy source during the Industrial Revolution. Steam-powered engines with coal-fueled boilers were used to power ships and trains. Windmills and waterwheels were also used to generate energy, primarily for pumping water, grinding grain, and powering sawmills and iron foundries.
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Frequently asked questions
Electricity is a natural force that has existed in the world since ancient times, but humans have only been harnessing its power for about 250 years. In the 1700s, scientists like English scientist Francis Hauksbee and Benjamin Franklin conducted experiments to understand electricity better. However, electricity as a power source for homes and businesses started in the 1880s with Edison's inventions and the establishment of power plants.
In the early 1700s, Francis Hauksbee made a glass ball that glowed when rubbed, demonstrating electrical attraction and repulsion. This discovery eventually led to neon lighting. Later, in 1752, Benjamin Franklin conducted his famous kite experiment, exploring the relationship between lightning and electricity.
Benjamin Franklin's experiments and theories significantly advanced our understanding of electricity. He proposed the idea that electricity had positive and negative elements and that it flowed between these elements. Franklin's work laid the groundwork for further exploration and the eventual harnessing of electricity as a power source.
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