Otis Singleton
The history of electricity and electrical devices is a long and complex one, with many inventors and scientists contributing to the development of the technology we use today. One of the most important inventions of the industrial age was the electrical transformer, which converts electrical energy from a higher voltage to a lower one. The English scientist Michael Faraday is often credited with discovering the law of electromagnetic induction, which forms the basis of electrical transformers. However, the invention of the first usable electrical transformer was a collaborative effort, with many inventors building upon Faraday's work. The first commutated dynamo was invented by the French instrument maker Hippolyte Pixii in 1832, and the modern dynamo was invented by Henry Wilde, with a paper presented by Michael Faraday in 1866.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Inventor of Dynamo | Michael Faraday, Sir Charles Wheatstone, Werner von Siemens, Samuel Alfred Varley, Ányos Jedlik, Hippolyte Pixii, Henry Wilde |
| Dynamo Invention Date | 1831-1867 |
| Dynamo Definition | Electrical generator that creates direct current using a commutator |
| Inventor of Transformer | Michael Faraday |
| Transformer Invention Date | August 1831 |
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What You'll Learn
Benjamin Franklin's experiments with electricity
Benjamin Franklin is often remembered for his experiments with electricity. Franklin did not discover electricity, but he did develop the lightning hypothesis and experimental conditions to prove it.
Franklin's interest in electricity was sparked when he met Dr. Spence, who had recently arrived from Scotland, in 1746. Dr. Spence showed Franklin electric experiments with the Leyden Jar, which caught his attention and curiosity. Franklin's early experiments involved giving electrical shocks to paralysed individuals. He placed Leyden jars in their limbs to send electric shocks. Although this initially proved beneficial, most people relapsed after several days.
Franklin's most famous experiment was drawing electricity from clouds and storing it in a Leyden Jar. He hypothesized that lightning was an electrical discharge, and his experiments proved the existence of positive and negative charges, as well as the concepts of insulators and conductors. Franklin's experiment with a kite and a key demonstrated the connection between lightning and electricity. He constructed a simple kite and attached a wire to the top to act as a lightning rod. He attached a hemp string to the bottom of the kite, 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, wouldn't. Franklin attached a metal key to the hemp string, and with his son's help, flew the kite during a thunderstorm. He felt a spark as he moved his finger near the key, proving the presence of electricity as lightning.
Franklin's experiments with electricity had significant repercussions and led to the invention of the lightning rod, which saved buildings from being struck by lightning.
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![Elements of electricity and magnetism, direct-current dynamos and motors, alternating-current machinery, operation of dynamo-electric machinery, transmission, lighting, and signaling, [Leather Bound]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61kelb6mFML._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Michael Faraday's electric dynamo
Michael Faraday is credited with discovering electromagnetic induction and creating the first electric dynamo in the early 1830s. Faraday's electric dynamo was a machine that continuously converted rotational mechanical energy into electrical energy. His machine was a conducting disc, rotating between the poles of a permanent magnet, with the voltage/current obtained from brushes contacting the disc.
In August 1831, Faraday created the first transformer. A few months later, he designed and built a simple piece of apparatus based on his ring, developing the first-ever electric generator. This apparatus consisted of a tube of neutral material wound with a coil of wire, insulated in cotton, and a bar magnet.
Faraday connected his apparatus to a galvanometer (an instrument that detects electrical current) and discovered that when he passed the magnet back and forth through the coil of wire, which remained stationary, the needle of the galvanometer leapt into action, registering a current flowing. This experiment demonstrated the relationship between magnetism and motion.
Faraday's experiments with his first dynamo provided valuable insight into electromagnetic induction, and this insight was quickly used by others to design practical generators. Faraday's work laid the foundation for many other electric-power conversion devices, including the electric motor, the alternating-current alternator, and the rotary converter.
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Lucien Gaulard's transformer invention
The invention of the dynamo principle (self-induction) was a significant advancement over the old DC generators that relied on permanent magnets. This discovery made industrial-scale electric power generation technically and economically viable. The word "dynamo" became exclusively associated with "commutated direct current electric generators" after the development of the alternator and the use of alternating current as a power supply.
The first commutated dynamo was created by Hippolyte Pixii, a French instrument maker, in 1832. Pixii's dynamo employed a permanent magnet that rotated via a crank, with its north and south poles passing by a piece of iron wrapped in insulated wire. He discovered that each time a pole passed the coil, a pulse of current was produced in the wire. However, the magnet's opposite poles induced currents in opposing directions, resulting in a low average power output. To address this, Pixii invented a commutator to convert the alternating current to DC.
Independently of Faraday, Hungarian inventor Ányos Jedlik began experimenting with electromagnetic rotating devices in 1827. He formulated the concept of the dynamo around 1856 but did not patent it, believing he was not the first to conceive of it. Unlike previous designs, Jedlik's dynamo used two electromagnets instead of permanent magnets to induce a magnetic field around the rotor. This was also the discovery of the principle of dynamo self-excitation, which replaced permanent magnet designs.
Now, moving on to Lucien Gaulard's transformer invention. Lucien Gaulard, a French inventor born in 1850, collaborated with John Dixon Gibbs of England to develop a power transformer. Their invention was first exhibited in London in 1881 and later in Turin in 1884, where it was adopted for electric lighting. The Gaulard-Gibbs transformer was designed to transmit alternating current electrical energy and was one of the first capable of handling large amounts of power. It also promised ease of manufacturing. The pair applied for patents on their transformer in 1882, 1884, and 1885, but these were overturned due to legal actions initiated by Sebastian Ziani de Ferranti and others.
Gaulard and Gibbs sold their idea to the American company Westinghouse, which imported their transformers to experiment with AC networks in Pittsburgh. In 1885, William Stanley, Jr. constructed the first practical induction coil based on their concept, which became the precursor to the modern transformer. Unfortunately, Lucien Gaulard lost the patents on his invention, which is said to have cost him his reason. He died in 1888 at Sainte-Anne Hospital in Paris.
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Heinrich Ruhmkorff's coil-winding method
The induction coil was the first electrical transformer, and Ruhmkorff's design was an improvement on the original invention by Nicholas Callan in 1836. Ruhmkorff's coil was a significant development in the history of electricity, with the ability to produce high-voltage pulses and sparks. This made it useful for operating Geissler and Crookes tubes, as well as detonating devices.
The primary and secondary windings of an induction coil are made of insulated wire wound around a common iron core. The primary winding is made of relatively few turns of coarse wire, while the secondary winding typically consists of up to a million turns of fine wire. An electric current is passed through the primary, creating a magnetic field. When the primary current is interrupted, the magnetic field collapses, and a high voltage pulse is created in the secondary winding through electromagnetic induction.
Ruhmkorff's coil-winding method involved increasing the length of this secondary winding, which resulted in higher voltages and more powerful sparks. This design was a significant improvement on previous induction coils and led to the development of the alternating-current transformer. Ruhmkorff's work in this field earned him a 50,000-franc prize from Emperor Napoleon III in 1858.
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Thomas Edison's contributions to electricity
Thomas Edison is one of the most prolific inventors in history. His work in the field of electricity has been revolutionary, with inventions that include the first practical electric lightbulb, the first power grid, and the first commercial power distribution system.
Edison was born in Milan, Ohio, on February 11, 1847, and began his career as a news butcher, selling newspapers, candy, and vegetables on trains. He soon turned a profit, using the money to fund his early electrical and chemical experiments. Edison's first job was as a telegraph operator, which inspired some of his earliest inventions. Edison was one of the first inventors to apply the principles of organized science and teamwork to the process of invention, working with many researchers and employees.
In 1876, Edison moved his laboratory to Menlo Park, New Jersey, and in 1877, he invented the first phonograph. In 1879, he invented the first commercially practical incandescent electric lightbulb. Edison also developed the first practical centralized power system and established the world's first electricity generation plant in New York City. He introduced the world's first economically viable system for centrally generating and distributing electric light, heat, and power.
In addition to his work on electric lighting and power, Edison also invented the phonograph, the carbon-button transmitter for the telephone speaker and microphone, an experimental electric railroad, and key elements of motion-picture equipment. He acquired a record 1,093 patents in his lifetime, including patents in a variety of fields such as electric light and power, telephony and telegraphy, and sound recording.
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Frequently asked questions
No one person invented electricity, as it is a natural phenomenon. However, English chemist and physicist Michael Faraday is credited with creating the first electric generator in 1831.
The first commutated dynamo was built in 1832 by French instrument maker Hippolyte Pixii. However, the concept of the dynamo was formulated by Hungarian inventor Ányos Jedlik around 1856, and Werner von Siemens is also credited with laying the foundations for a new age of electricity with his work on the dynamo-electric principle.
A dynamo is an electrical generator that creates direct current using a commutator.
Michael Faraday created the first electric transformer in 1831.
