Umair Gaines
The discovery of electricity is a fascinating topic with a long and complex history. While some sources attribute the discovery to Benjamin Franklin and his famous kite experiment in 1752, others suggest that electricity was not invented but rather discovered as a natural phenomenon, with the first observable instance of electricity noted in Ancient Egypt. Over the centuries, numerous scientists have contributed to our understanding of electricity, including William Gilbert, who created the term electricity in the 16th century, and Thomas Edison, who showcased the incandescent lightbulb in 1879. Nikola Tesla developed the alternating current (AC) system, enabling widespread electricity transmission, while Michael Faraday invented the electric motor in 1821. This paragraph provides a glimpse into the rich history of electricity, and there are many more pioneers and inventions to explore.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Discovered electricity | Benjamin Franklin |
| Invented the first electric battery | Alessandro Volta |
| Invented the first lightbulb | Thomas Edison |
| Established the world's first electric power distribution system | Thomas Edison |
| Pioneered alternating current (AC) power transmission | Nikola Tesla |
| Invented the first capacitor | Ewald Georg Von Kleist and Pieter Van Musschenbroek |
| First to use the term "electricity" | William Gilbert |
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What You'll Learn
Benjamin Franklin's kite experiment
While Benjamin Franklin is often credited with discovering electricity, this is a common misconception. In fact, the existence of electricity had been known for over a thousand years, and scientists had been working extensively with static electricity. Franklin's experiment with a kite, however, did prove that lightning and electricity were the same phenomenon.
Franklin's kite experiment was first proposed in 1752, with the assistance of his son, William. The experiment aimed to investigate the nature of lightning and electricity, which were not yet fully understood. Franklin constructed a simple kite and attached a wire to the top to act as a lightning rod. To the bottom of the kite, he attached a hemp string, which would conduct an electrical charge quickly when wet. To the hemp string, he attached a silk string, which would remain dry and act as an insulator. A metal key was attached to the hemp string, and a Leyden jar—an early form of capacitor—was connected to the other end.
As Franklin and his son waited for a thunderstorm, the kite picked up the ambient electrical charge from the storm. Franklin noticed that the loose threads of the hemp string stood erect, confirming that the kite had been electrified. From the electric fire obtained, he was able to kindle spirits and perform other electrical experiments.
Franklin's description of the event was published in the Pennsylvania Gazette on October 19, 1752, and read before the Royal Society. In it, he gave instructions for recreating the experiment:
> As soon as any of the Thunder Clouds come over the Kite, the pointed Wire will draw the Electric Fire from them, and the Kite, with all the Twine, will be electrified, and the loose Filaments of the Twine will stand out every Way, and be attracted by an approaching Finger. 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.
While Franklin's kite experiment is famous, it is important to note that it did not play out exactly as many people think it did. Historians are not entirely sure of the date of the experiment, and some have questioned whether it took place at all. Contrary to popular belief, Franklin did not conduct the experiment to prove the existence of electricity, and it is unlikely that lightning struck the key while he was flying the kite.
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Thomas Edison's lightbulb
While electricity was not invented but rather discovered, Thomas Edison is credited with illuminating an incandescent lightbulb with energy in 1879. This discovery built on previous research by Alessandro Volta, who invented the first electric battery, known as the 'voltaic pile' in 1800.
Thomas Edison was born in Ohio on February 11, 1847, and was one of the most well-known inventors of all time. He spent most of his time experimenting in the basement of his family's home in Michigan, where he set up a laboratory. Edison's mother, Nancy, supported her son's interest in chemistry and electronics by providing him with books on the subjects.
Edison's lamp consisted of a filament housed in a glass vacuum bulb. He had his own glass-blowing shed where he carefully crafted the fragile bulbs for his experiments. Edison was working on creating a high-resistance system that would require far less electrical power than the existing arc lamps. This would eventually allow for small electric lights suitable for home use.
By January 1879, Edison had built his first high-resistance, incandescent electric light at his laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey. He achieved this by passing electricity through a thin platinum filament in the glass vacuum bulb, which prevented the filament from melting. However, the lamp only burned for a few hours. To improve the bulb, Edison tested thousands of other materials for the filament, eventually succeeding in passing a long-lasting electric current through an incandescent carbon filament. This filament was housed in a glass bell, efficiently extending the illumination and making it suitable for illuminating streets and houses.
The carbon filament bulbs, the first electric light bulbs, became available commercially in 1879. Edison's light bulbs, also known as filament light bulbs, became popular at the turn of the 20th century and are now recognised as vintage or antique light bulbs. They are characterised by the long and complicated windings of their internal filaments and the warm-yellow glow of the light they produce. In recent years, there has been a resurgence in demand for vintage bulbs, with Edison-style incandescent lamps being sold as "specialty lighting" and exempted from bans on low-efficiency lighting in most places.
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Nikola Tesla's AC power transmission
While electricity was not invented but rather discovered, the development of modern electricity is attributed to the work of several scientists and inventors.
One of the most influential figures in the history of electricity was Nikola Tesla, a Serbian-American inventor and engineer. Tesla pioneered alternating current (AC) power transmission, revolutionising the way electricity is generated, transmitted, and distributed.
Tesla arrived in the United States in 1884 and by 1887, he had filed for seven U.S. patents describing a complete AC system. This system included his induction motor, generators, transformers, transmission lines, and lighting. Tesla's AC system was a breakthrough, as it addressed the limitations of direct current (DC) power transmission, which was difficult to transmit economically over long distances.
In 1888, Tesla delivered a lecture about his revolutionary AC system to the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, causing a sensation. Despite an anti-AC campaign by Thomas Edison, Tesla's lecture convinced many experts of the superiority of AC power.
Tesla's AC motor and polyphase AC system won what was known as the "'war of currents'", as they form the basis of all modern power generation and distribution. In 1893, George Westinghouse used Tesla's AC system to light the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. This success led to Westinghouse winning the contract to install the first power machinery at Niagara Falls, which bore Tesla's name and patent numbers.
Tesla's impact on the field of electrical engineering was enormous, and his work continues to influence modern power generation and distribution systems.
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Alessandro Volta's voltaic pile
The design of the voltaic pile consisted of alternating discs of zinc and copper or silver (or pewter) separated by cloth or cardboard soaked in brine (a salt and water solution or vinegar). This design was based on Volta's theory of contact tension, which held that an electromotive force, or emf, occurs at the contact between two metals. This force drives the electric current through a circuit containing a voltaic cell. Volta demonstrated this theory in 1794 when he showed that two metals and brine-soaked cloth or cardboard arranged in a circuit produce an electric current.
The invention of the voltaic pile was the result of a disagreement between Volta and fellow Italian scientist Luigi Galvani, who had conducted experiments on frogs' legs. Galvani, a physician at the University of Bologna, observed that the muscles of dissected frogs would seem to jump back to life under certain conditions. Volta, on the other hand, believed that animal tissue was not necessary for the production of electricity, and that any moist material between different metals would produce electricity. He called this "metallic electricity".
The invention of the voltaic pile enabled a rapid series of other discoveries, including the electrical decomposition (electrolysis) of water into oxygen and hydrogen by William Nicholson and Anthony Carlisle, who used the voltaic pile in their experiments. Humphry Davy also used the voltaic pile to decompose chemicals and to produce new chemicals. He showed that the electromotive force in a circuit containing a single voltaic cell was caused by a chemical reaction, not by the voltage difference between the two metals.
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Michael Faraday's electric motor
While electricity was not invented but rather discovered, the development of electric motors and other applications is attributed to several scientists.
Michael Faraday, a self-taught British scientist, made groundbreaking discoveries in the field of electromagnetism. In 1821, Faraday delved into the work of Ørsted and Ampère, conducting his own experiments using a small mercury bath apparatus. This device, which transformed electrical energy into mechanical energy, is considered the first electric motor. The apparatus, dating from 1822, is the first surviving electric motor.
Faraday's mercury bath apparatus featured a stiff wire that hung into a glass vessel with a bar magnet secured at the bottom. The vessel was partially filled with mercury, a liquid metal and excellent conductor. When connected to a battery, electricity passed through the wire, creating a magnetic field. This field interacted with the field around the magnet, causing the wire to rotate clockwise.
Faraday's work laid the foundation for the development of electric generators and transformers. In 1831, he created the first transformer, demonstrating that light and glass are affected by magnetism. He also formulated the laws of electromagnetic induction and showed that electricity could be generated through moving magnetic fields.
Other notable scientists who contributed to the advancement of electricity include Benjamin Franklin, who in 1752, proved that lightning consisted of electricity through his famous kite experiment. Franklin's work built upon that of scientists William Watson, Henry Cavendish, and Charles A Coulomb, who conducted key experiments with the Leyden jar, an early capacitor.
Thomas Edison, an American inventor, is also renowned for his contributions to the practical application of electricity. He developed the first successful practical electric lightbulb and established the world's first electric power distribution system, bringing electricity into homes and businesses. Nikola Tesla, a Serbian-American inventor and engineer, pioneered alternating current (AC) power transmission, revolutionizing the way electricity is generated, transmitted, and distributed.
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Frequently asked questions
American polymath Benjamin Franklin is most credited with discovering electricity in 1752. In an experiment, he attached a wire to a kite in a thunderstorm, which showed that lightning is a form of electricity.
Alessandro Volta, an Italian physicist, invented the first electric battery, known as the 'voltaic pile' in 1800.
Thomas Edison, an American inventor, developed the first successful practical electric lightbulb and established the world's first electric power distribution system.
Nikola Tesla, a Serbian-American inventor and engineer, pioneered alternating current (AC) power transmission, revolutionising the way electricity is generated, transmitted, and distributed.
