He never stopped and said, “What would we do without this electricity?” Have you ever thought? I’m sure this question has once crossed our minds as we lay in our bed in the dark staring at the empty ceiling, or been the subject of our conversations with friends; each time these conversations ended with “Good luck, Electricity!”. In fact, as all of humanity, we are so dependent on electricity, which is present in every corner of life, that we can react as if all life had stopped at the slightest power outage.

Well, do you know who invented electricity, which since its discovery has become as basic a necessity as food and water? No? So let’s go on a journey together in the long history of electricity.

Not an artificial invention, but a natural force

First of all, let’s be clear about this: nobody invented electricity; because the electricity a force inherent in nature† Of course, this miraculous natural power had to be discovered and understood how to use it. When we get to the person who discovered electricity; in most places Benjamin FranklinAlthough Franklin’s experiments only deal with the relationship between lightning and electricity, we can say that this topic is somewhat dubious and open to discussion.

The man who picked the best (!) day to fly a kite: Benjamin Franklin

Known to many of us as over $100 Benjamin FranklinHe had an intelligence that was ahead of its time. Between them your bifocal glasses Franklin’s interest, which was the name behind many inventions, including his invention, shifted to electrical science when the date indicated the 18th century. Until now, scientists have only static electricity he knew and experimented with it; But Benjamin Franklin was about to take a step forward — quite a big step forward.

According to Franklin’s idea, electricity positive and negative elements existed and electricity flowed between these elements. Franklin too lightningHe believed that the Earth was a product of this flow of electricity that we were talking about. By 1752 Franklin famous kite experimentput it into practice. To prove that lightning is also a form of electricity, he attached a metal key to the rope of a kite and flew it on a stormy day. Just as he predicted, the electricity in the storm clouds reached the kite and then the rope to Franklin, and he literally ‘shock of your lifegave it. Frankly, Franklin deserves no special congratulations for surviving this experiment.

Many of you may have heard this part of the story before, but what about before? Was Benjamin Franklin the first to discover electricity?

Making batteries from pottery and static electricity from resin: electricity 2000 years ago

The real truth behind the discovery of electricity is a little more complicated than a man flying a kite. When you say mixed you mean us in history 2000 years We are talking about a mess that will bring you back.

scientists, people who lived in ancient times they discovered very strong evidence that he would have conducted experiments on electricity. in 1936 in copper plates, tin alloy and iron bar found a your clay pot discovery; of the first batteries 2000 years ago Romans indicates that it may have been invented by Similar devices were also found at an archaeological site near Baghdad, which Persians This means that they may also have used early battery forms, such as the Romans.

“Well, they invented batteries, but what did they do with these batteries? “I hear you ask. People of that time used these pottery batteries as vinegar. with an acidic solution he may have used it to create an electric current by filling it; but no one has a clear idea what this device is used for. That still doesn’t change the fact that people learned about electricity long before Benjamin Franklin.

In addition, in the 600s BC Old-Greek’from, rub amber, a petrified tree resin, on fur There is the fact that they give rise to the reaction known as ‘static electricity’. It seems that the ancient Greeks also experimented with electricity when they had time to think about philosophical issues!

From ‘Electrician’ to ‘Electricity’: Who was the first to use the term electricity?

Jumping forward in time a bit and reaching the year 1600, this time we come across another name interested in electricity: William Gilbert.

Gilbert, a British physicist; a Latin word to describe the force produced by the friction of certain substances “electricity”With this he laid the foundation for the science that studies electricity and magnetism.

A few years later, another British scientist was influenced by the work of William Gilbert. Thomas Brownewrote more detailed books on the same subject, and also for his research on Gilbert’s work. “electricity”, that is, he used the word electricity. Thus, these two scientists wrote their names in history with golden letters as the first people to use the concept of electricity.

The person who made the first electric transmission: Alessandro Volta

After this point comes Benjamin Franklin in 1752, whom we have already mentioned. So let’s go a little further.

Next up is the Italian physicist you’ve probably heard of. Alessandro Volta there is. Volta discovered that electricity could be created as a result of a number of chemical reactions, and when the calendar leaves 1800, the first battery to produce a continuous electric current,’volt batteryHe earned the title of being the first to create a steady flow of electrical charge.

In addition, Volta created the first electrical conduction by connecting positively and negatively charged connectors and passing an electrical charge, known as a voltage, through them.

Faraday, Edison, Swan and Tesla: The Four Horsemen of Electricity

michael faradaythus eliminating the problem of generating electric current forever. electric alternatorIn 1831 electricity became suitable for use in engineering. Faraday’s invention, which we can call rather crude, used a magnet, which, by moving it in a coil of copper wire, caused a small current to flow through the wire, and by 1978 they were individual in their own country. light bulb American who invented Thomas Edison and British scientist Joseph Swan It opened the door for him. In fact, these two men weren’t the first to invent the light bulb; however, the light bulb they made was the first practical light bulb that could burn for hours without going out.

Swan and Edison later joined forces to form a joint company to produce the first practical light bulb, and Edison, DC system (DC) turned on New York’s first streetlights in September 1882, and the city’s streets have never been dark since.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, a name we all know is the Serbian engineer and inventor we can call the Gandalf of electricity. Nikola Teslacontributed significantly to the birth of commercial electricity. Working with Edison for a while, later Tesla electromagnetism groundbreaking developments in this area. Tesla too alternating current (HUNGRY), AC motors and multi-phase distribution system He is also famous for his work on

The evolution of electricity until now

Later, an American inventor and industrialist, George Westinghousebought and developed Tesla’s patented motor that produces alternating current, and thanks to the work of Tesla and other scientists, the American people believed that the future of electricity on DC not AC convinced that he was.

The Scottish inventor, whose names we will all remember from high school physics classes, helped electricity become what we know today. James Wattsfrench mathematician André Ampere and German mathematician and physicist George OhmHis contributions are also very great.

Long story short, it is incorrect to associate the discovery of electricity with just one person. Although mankind has been aware of the existence of electricity for centuries, many great minds have been involved in its commercial and physical development. Frankly, we don’t even want to think about what would happen if electricity, which has become an indispensable part of us since the first adaptation to everyday life, suddenly disappeared. Seriously, what would it be? You can access our “If the Lights Go Out” story series, set in a world where electricity suddenly disappears, by clicking here.