Wiktor Wise
The discovery of electricity is credited to multiple people, including William Gilbert, an English physician who first identified, studied, and advanced electricity in 1600. Benjamin Franklin, however, is often regarded as the discoverer of electricity due to his famous kite experiment in 1752, which proved that lightning and electricity were the same. The development of the theory of electromagnetism in the 19th century marked significant progress, with Michael Faraday's invention of the electric motor in 1821. This rapid expansion in electrical technology was a driving force behind the Second Industrial Revolution, with electricity's versatility transforming industry and society.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| First person in modern history to identify, study and advance electricity | William Gilbert |
| Year of first identification, study and advancement of electricity | 1600 |
| First person to develop knowledge further | Benjamin Franklin |
| Year when knowledge was developed further | 1752 |
| Development of the theory of electromagnetism | 19th century |
| Inventor of the electric motor | Michael Faraday |
| Year when the electric motor was invented | 1821 |
| Inventor of the alternating-current electrical system | Nikola Tesla |
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What You'll Learn
Michael Faraday's electric motor invention in 1821
Electricity was not invented but discovered, as it occurs naturally in the environment. Ancient societies were aware of its existence, and while they did not know how to harness it, they knew it existed. In modern history, English physician William Gilbert is credited with being the first person to identify, study, and advance electricity in 1600.
Michael Faraday invented the electric motor in 1821. Faraday's homopolar motor consisted of a permanent magnet sitting in a pool of mercury. A current was allowed through a wire suspended from a pivot above the magnet and dipped into the mercury. The magnet exerted a tangential force on the wire, making it circle the magnet for as long as the current was maintained.
Faraday's work built upon the discoveries of Hans Christian Ørsted, who suggested that the flow of electricity through a wire created a magnetic field around it. Ørsted's theory threw the concept of electromagnetic theory into confusion, as natural philosophers of the day believed that electricity and magnetism were two distinct phenomena.
Faraday's experimentation with electricity and magnetism led him to observe the circular rotation of a wire as it was attracted and repelled by magnetic poles. On September 3, 1821, he sketched in his notebook a clockwise rotation around the south pole of the magnet and the reverse around the north pole. He continued his experiments and, in 1831, discovered that a wire moving perpendicular to a magnetic field developed a potential difference between its ends. This process, known as electromagnetic induction, enabled him to state the principle now known as Faraday's law of induction.
Michael Faraday is rightfully remembered for his work in electromagnetism and his skills as a chemist, lecturer, and experimentalist.
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Benjamin Franklin's kite experiment in 1752
In 1752, Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States, performed his famous kite experiment. This experiment is often regarded as the discovery of electricity, but it was already a known phenomenon at the time. Franklin's kite experiment, however, did prove the connection between lightning and electricity.
Franklin's experiment was conducted in Philadelphia in June 1752, according to Joseph Priestley, a British scientist. Franklin, with the assistance of his son, William, flew a kite made with a large silk handkerchief, with hemp and silk strings during a thunderstorm. A house key was attached to the hemp string, which was then connected to a Leyden jar, an early form of capacitor. The hemp string, when wet, would conduct an electrical charge quickly, while the silk string, held by Franklin in the doorway of a shed, remained dry and did not conduct electricity.
Franklin noticed that the loose threads of the hemp string were repelling one another, indicating that the Leyden jar was being charged. He then moved his finger near the key, and as the negative charges in the metal piece were attracted to the positive charges in his hand, he felt a spark. This spark demonstrated that lightning and electricity were the result of the same phenomenon.
Franklin's description of the event was published in the Pennsylvania Gazette on October 19, 1752, along with instructions for recreating the experiment. In his account, he emphasised the importance of keeping the silk string dry and the hemp string wet to facilitate the conduction of electricity. He also mentioned that the pointed wire attached to the kite would draw the electric fire from the thunderclouds, electrifying the kite and the twine.
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Nikola Tesla's development of the AC electrical system
Nikola Tesla, a Serbian-American engineer, inventor, and futurist, is known for his contributions to the modern alternating current (AC) electricity supply system. Born in 1856 in the Austrian Empire (now Croatia), Tesla first studied engineering and physics in the 1870s, later gaining practical experience in the early 1880s working in telephony and the emerging electric power industry.
In 1884, Tesla immigrated to the United States, where he worked briefly at the Edison Machine Works in New York City before branching out on his own. With partners to help finance and market his ideas, he established laboratories and companies in New York to develop a range of electrical and mechanical devices.
Tesla's alternating-current (AC) power system revolutionised electricity supply, making it possible to power homes and buildings. He also played a key role in the development of radio communication and was granted more than 100 US patents. One of his notable inventions was the Tesla coil in 1891, widely used today in radio and television sets and other electronic equipment.
In 1893, Westinghouse used Tesla's AC system to light the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. This success helped Westinghouse win the contract to install the first power machinery at Niagara Falls, which bore Tesla's name and patent numbers. The project delivered power to Buffalo by 1896. Tesla also advised on the design of a two-phase AC generating system at Niagara Falls, which was awarded to Westinghouse Electric.
Tesla obtained around 300 patents worldwide, with a minimum of 278 known patents in 26 countries. Many of his inventions were not patented, and his archive consists of over 160,000 original documents, now included in the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme.
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William Gilbert's study and advancement of electricity in 1600
William Gilbert, an English physician, physicist, and natural philosopher, is credited with being the first person in modern history to identify, study, and advance electricity. Gilbert's work in 1600, specifically his book 'De Magnete, Magneticisque Corporoibus, et de Magno Magnete Tellure' (On the Magnet, Magnetic Bodies, and on the Great Magnet the Earth), was a significant advancement in the study of electricity.
Gilbert's book, published in 1600, was a comprehensive treatise on magnetism and electricity, compiling all the information on these topics known at the time. It included descriptions of his own experiments, the conclusions he drew from them, and data obtained by others. Gilbert's work established much of the basic terminology still used in the field of electromagnetics, including "electric attraction", "electric force", and "magnetic pole". The term "electricus", coined by Gilbert, was first used in 1646 by Sir Thomas Browne and derived from Gilbert's Neo-Latin term, meaning "like amber in its attractive properties". Amber, or "elektron" in Greek, led Gilbert to name its effect the "electric force".
Gilbert's experiments and theories were groundbreaking for his time. He developed a versorium, an instrument with a metal needle that could pivot freely in response to a magnetic or electric field, and a round lodestone called a terrella. Through his experiments, Gilbert concluded that the Earth is magnetic, similar to the lodestone. He observed that the way a versorium's dip varies as it moves around a terrella is analogous to how a compass needle's dip varies at different points on the Earth's surface. This led to his theory that the Earth is a giant magnet, which he presented in 'De Magnete'. Gilbert also studied static electricity using amber and recognised that friction with these objects removed a substance he called "effluvium", which caused the attraction effect.
Gilbert's work in 1600 was a significant milestone in the study of electricity and magnetism. His book, 'De Magnete', was a seminal text that provided a foundation for future scientists and researchers to build upon. Gilbert's contributions to the understanding and advancement of electricity laid the groundwork for further progress and applications of electrical technology in the following centuries.
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The development of the theory of electromagnetism in the 19th century
In the 19th century, the growing understanding of electromagnetic induction led to the creation of the electrical turbine, harnessing the power of rotating magnets to generate electricity. This technology, combined with the late 19th-century invention of the transformer, enabled efficient electrical transmission and centralized power generation. The 1880s witnessed the emergence of large-scale commercial electric power systems, initially for lighting, and later for electro-motive power and heating.
The Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell made groundbreaking contributions to the mathematical foundations of electromagnetism. In the 1860s, he formulated a set of four partial differential equations, now known as Maxwell's equations, which unified previous developments and conclusively demonstrated the relationship between electricity and magnetism. This theory proposed that light was an electromagnetic wave propagating through the luminiferous ether.
The work of Maxwell and others inspired intensive research in electrodynamics, leading to the German physicist Heinrich Hertz's experiments proving the existence of electromagnetic waves. This unification of energy, extended by Maxwell and partially reformulated by Oliver Heaviside and Hertz, was a landmark achievement in 19th-century mathematical physics. It transformed our understanding of the nature of light, leading to the concept of photons as quantized electromagnetic field disturbances.
The 19th century also witnessed the “War of the Currents," a dispute between proponents of DC and AC systems. During this period, scientists like the American Joseph Henry made significant contributions to the field of electromagnetism, and inventors like Nikola Tesla developed innovative AC induction motors. These advancements in electromagnetism and electrical engineering laid the foundation for the Second Industrial Revolution, driving transformations across industry and society.
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Frequently asked questions
There is no one person who developed the means to harness electricity. The study of electrical phenomena dates back to ancient times, with the theoretical understanding progressing slowly until the 17th and 18th centuries. Most historians credit William Gilbert, an English physician, as the first person in modern history to identify, study, and advance electricity in 1600. Many others built on his work, including Benjamin Franklin, who achieved fame with his kite experiment in 1752, proving that lightning and electricity were the same. In the 19th century, the development of the theory of electromagnetism led to electricity's industrial and residential application by electrical engineers. This period saw many minds come together to build off each other's work, including Michael Faraday, who invented the electric motor in 1821, and Nikola Tesla, who developed the alternating-current electrical system that is widely used today.
While ancient societies were aware of electricity and had the pieces of the puzzle, it took time to find potential practical uses for electricity. Discoveries in electricity had to compete with the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of established technologies involving fuel-burning. It was also unclear how much effort it would take to make electricity efficient enough to be worthwhile.
The harnessing of electricity led to rapid progress and transformations in industry and society, driving the Second Industrial Revolution. Electricity is integral to applications spanning transport, heating, lighting, communications, and computation, making it the foundation of modern industrial society.
