In the modern days the people around the world cannot think of their lives without electricity. Electricity is been one of the major asset for everyday works. Electricity is the energy produced by the nature, but it took lot of years for the humans to appreciate
In the modern days the people around the world cannot think of their lives without electricity. Electricity is been one of the major asset for everyday works. Electricity is the energy produced by the nature, but it took lot of years for the humans to appreciate how electricity can be used to get things done. It is defined as the flow of charged particles named electrons via a conductive medium. Even though, everyone in the world are using electricity, no one can answer the query “who invented electricity” in just one word. The invention of electricity was a big history and lot of scientists took part in it. Covering the major aspects of its invention, the following section talks about the inventors of electricity.
THE HISTORY OF ELECTRICITY DISCOVERY
The story of electricity is more of a discovery than an invention. Thunderbolt and lightening have been observed and mentioned by humans since ages. However, exploitable form of electricity, which the world is using in the recent years, is output of ample number of experiments on electricity initiated right from the 600 BC. Thales of Miletus was the first scientist to recognize the existence of electric power in the nature. Thales has first found the seeds of static electricity, by proposing a theory that, rubbing a fur would make a couple of objects attract one another. Thales was the first to produce the electric sparks, by rubbing the amber. The word “electricity” came into existence, in the year 1600, by the scientist William Gilbert. In the year 1660, Otto von Guericke invented electro static generator that generates static electricity. The inventions made by the Guericke, derived a number of properties of electricity, in which the major are: The electricity can pass through a vacuum, in the context of electricity the materials are divided into insulators and conductors. Another scientist Robert Boyle had experimentally observed the electric forces of attraction and repulsion transmitted through vacuum, in the year 1675.
The 17th century is the most crucial era, in the history of electricity invention. In the year 1729, Stephen Gray’s, offered a novel dimension to the initiative of electricity, by discovering conduction of electricity. In the year 1733 Charles Francois du Fay discovered that the forms of electricity can either be resinous (-)or vitreous (+), later on the scientist Benjamin Franklin and Ebenezer Kinnersley, had named the forms of electricity as negative or positive. The discovery of Electromagnetic Induction, made it clear that how electric currents work. In the field of electromagnetism, the role of Michael Faraday was very significant; he discovered that passing a magnet within a wire coil might produce electricity. Michael Faraday, invented the first electric motor, later he built the generator and a transformer. In the period of 1745- 1747, Pieter van Musschenbroek initially discovered a Leyden jar that could store the static electricity and a discharged at once. The scientist William Watson demonstrated how a Leyden jar could be discharged through a circuit. Benjamin Franklin, On June 15, 1752, discovered that the lightning was electrical; this was proved by conducting an experiment of flying a kite during lightning. Henry Cavendish, in 1747, had listed the various materials that are conductive to electricity. Conductivity is the capability of the substance to hold the electricity. Volta exposed that chemical reactions might be used to produce cathodes and anodes. The variations of electric potentials among the cathode and anode might direct to the stream of a current among them. The invention of electric bulb by Thomas Edison, was the major mile stone in the harnessing of electricity.
In the 20th century, the final draft of the electricity was introduced to the people around the world. During the period of 20th century, the discovery of energy distribution and the telegraph was took place. The inventions made by various scientist and inventor of electricity, such as Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, George Westinghouse and Samuel Morse, changed the world with their inventions such as motors and electric bulb. In this period there was a small argument between the Edison and Westinghouse, the Edison suggested to use direct current (DC), whereas Westinghouse chosen the alternating current (AC). In the current years both the AC and DC are being used.
Therefore, by referring the above history of electricity, one cannot judge “who invented electricity and how it was discovered” and form the above context it is evident that the contribution of the entire scientists had led to the invention of electricity.