Name who invented electricity

His pioneering discoveries in electromagnetism are the basis for all the work mentioned in this article and, coincidentally, the foundation of modern physics.

He was also an inventor who apparently never bothered to apply for patents which is probably indicative of the nature of the British patent system at the time. There are simply too many amazing innovators and pioneers of the electroindustry. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this article and appreciate the reverence for the people and history of our industry.

Excellent comment. You remind us of some very important people. Perhaps a follow-up article is in order. In this, the 21st century we should be far far more humble in recognizing the hoards of innovators on whose shoulders we stand to enjoy the fruits of the seeds they planted so long ago and by means of extraordinary effort. The Supreme Court slowly reinserting their Flash of Genius and all…. Reminds me of my own analogy to capture what the patent system is intended for: paving a parking lot rather than a gridwork of streets — and this is directly due to the very nature of innovation, which is not typically known a priori, but is more apt to the small interconnections of tiny steps.

View More…. Advertise Here. Our website uses cookies to provide you with a better experience. Read our privacy policy for more information. Accept and Close. Nikola Tesla. There are currently 11 Comments comments. However, what purpose could these ancient batteries have served considering that no motors, lights, or any similar electric device have been found? One possible application of the Baghdad battery is for medical therapy, as the Greeks and Romans of the time routinely employed the common electric ray to deliver electric shocks to patients for treating pain.

This lack of any apparent use for electrical current has led some to question whether these ancient jars were actually used as batteries. Instead, these could have been used to store important documents in order to keep the moisture from damaging the papyrus.

Fast forward to 1, years into the future. During this time, an English physicist by the name of Wiliam Gilbert published a treaty on the attractive nature of amber and used the Latin word electricus to describe it. Many have been taught in elementary school that Benjamin Franklin, Founding Father and renowned inventor, discovered electricity by tying a key to a kite while standing in a thunderstorm. However, this is not true at all.

During the midth century, well before he embarked on his famous experiment, Franklin was toying with electricity tubes that were given to him by his friend Peter Collinson.

He was successful on May 10, in Paris. In July, an Englishman, John Canton, successfully replicated the experiment. Later, Russian chemist Mikhail Lomonosov also reached the same conclusion after his own experiment. Franklin, apparently unaware of these developments across the pond, undertook his own version of the experiment during a thunderstorm on June , in Philadelphia. He stood outside under a shelter while he held on to a silk kite with a key tied to it. When lightning struck, the electricity traveled down the key and its charge was collected in a Leyden jar — an antique electrical component which stores a high-voltage electric charge and can release it at a later date.

Franklin himself later wrote in the Pennsylvania Gazette on October 19, , detailing his findings and offering instructions on how to recreate the experiment:. 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.

However, he is credited as the first scientist to draw up the hypothesis and the experimental conditions. In , an Italian doctor named Luigi Galvani found that when a frog touched two different kinds of metals, its leg twitched. Volta used this insight to invent the first modern batteries.

Most people give credit to Benjamin Franklin for discovering electricity. Benjamin Franklin had one of the greatest scientific minds of his time. He was interested in many areas of science, made many discoveries, and invented many things, including bifocal glasses.

In the mids, he became interested in electricity. Up until that time, scientists had mainly known about and experimented with static electricity. Benjamin Franklin took things a big step ahead.

He came up with the idea that electricity had positive and negative elements and that electricity flowed between these elements. He also believed that lightning was a form of this flowing electricity. In , Franklin conducted his famous kite experiment. In order to show that lightning was electricity, he flew a kite during a thunderstorm.

He tied a metal key to the kite string to conduct the electricity. Just as he thought, electricity from the storm clouds transferred to the kite and electricity flowed down the string and gave him a shock. He's lucky that he didn't get hurt, but he didn't mind the shock since it proved his idea.

Building upon Franklin's work, many other scientists studied electricity and began to understand more about how it works. For example, in , Thomas Edison patented the electric light bulb and our world has been brighter ever since! But was Benjamin Franklin really the first person to discover electricity? Maybe not! At the turn of the 17th century, English scientist William Gilbert established the science underlying the study of electricity and magnetism.

Inspired by Gilbert's work, another Englishman, Sir Thomas Browne, made further investigations and wrote books about his findings. Gilbert and Browne are credited with being the first scientists to use the term "electricity. Scientists have found evidence that ancient peoples may have experimented with electricity, too. In , a clay pot was discovered that suggests that the first batteries may have been invented over 2, years ago.

The clay pot contained copper plates, tin alloy , and an iron rod. It could have been used to create an electric current by filling it with an acidic solution, like vinegar. No one knows what the device was used for, but it sheds some light on the fact that people may have been learning about electricity long before Benjamin Franklin!

B, CCRA. Are you ready to have some fun with electricity? Be sure to explore the following activities with a friend or family member:. That's a great question, James! We're not sure about that. You could probably go on a Wonder Journey to discover the answer to this question. Thanks for your comment, but Ben Franklin lived long before Nikola Tesla. We don't see how that would be possible. Great question! We suggest doing some research on your own.

And, never mess around with electricity without an adult present. It can be very dangerous! Great question, New Guy! Do you mean the Leyden jar? This link from The Atlas Society should provide you with more information! What was some of the information that you learned about from this Wonder?

Thanks for asking, Nigx! We ask that Wonderopolis be listed as the author. Since we do not list the publish date for our Wonders of the Day, you may put the date you accessed this page for information. The following is how you would cite this page:. Accessed 10 Mar. It's a shame that people who drive cars turn their lightson in the house, use the refrigerators washing machines vacum cleaners, remote control etc.

Hi, Milan! We do also have a Wonder about Nikola Tesla! Wonder Who Was Nikola Tesla? Hi, Mainak! Let us know what you find out! What are some of the new facts you learned about electricity? Actually when Edison toured the Centennial Exposition in in Philadelphia he stopped by a booth set up by Mr. He had invented a bulb that when electricity passed through it the bulb glowed.

His patented "Stopper lamp" preceded Edison's patent by several years. Stanly later was one of the engineers who worked with George Westinghouse and Nicola Tesla to create our modern AC system. Thanks for asking, BBQQ, and yes, you can!! Because we do not put the publish date for our Wonders of the Day, you may put the date you accessed this page for information. Accessed 21 Nov. You're very welcome! Any time we get a chance to Wonder with great Wonder Friends like you is thanks enough for us!

That's awesome, Aprilyn! Have a great day! Benjamin Franklin grounded the basics by which electricity follows. He was making a point that lightning is a form of electricity. He expanded his studies of electricity into inventions and such of the subject. Hi Layne! We do love to have fun while we Wonder. Thanks for being an awesome Wonder Friend! That's awesome, Cliff! Thanks, Chloe! Everybody does make mistakes - it's true. We do strive to be as accurate as possible, though so we welcome constructive feedback.

We love our Wonder Friends like you, Chloe! Thanks for having our back, Brixley! We love having you as a Wonder Friend - you're awesome! Awesome, Degan! So glad you learned something new and had fun doing it. That's what we are all about here at Wonderopolis!

That's kind of mean to say, Snoop dog. We hope that you will be kind when you're online, because what you say matters and can hurt others. But on another note, we're impressed that you've read all 1, Wonders of the Day! Which one is the correct one? We hope you'll explore the achievements of Thomas Edison by searching online or at your local library!

Thanks for sharing what your learned with us, Sam! Tomas made the light bulb and others ben made electricity well he didnt make it he just kind of found it i guess. By researching this Wonder we found that many people credit Ben Franklin with discovering electricity and Thomas Edison built upon Franklin's work to create the light bulb. Thanks for commenting, bob. We did some further digging and could not find a link between Thales of Miletus and electricity, despite his work in science. If you have a source for your claim, we would be happy to review it.

Thank you! Thanks for sharing your opinion, Wonder Friend! Video games are popular! We encourage you to use the search box to find Wonders about video games! Sometimes people do not believe in using electricity. We respect everyone's beliefs here at Wonderopolis! Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Michael! We're sorry you didn't like this Wonder. Luckily, there are more than 1, other Wonders you can explore! Thanks for the KIND words!

Hello, the lover! Ben Franklin did discover electricity, but he also proved that lightning was a form of electricity. He conducted an experiment using a kite and invented the lightning rod. Learn more about Ben Franklin's experiment here. Even the word electricity was already in use before him by Thomas Browne. Franklin just further experimented on the idea. In fact he was just testing if the electricity produced by static charges is same as lightning bolt because the similarities they hold.

Furthermore, you only explain the Western version of the researches done. In ancient India, more than years ago, another scientist, also a saint, Saint Agasthiyar wrote in his writings on how to build a battery.

His batteries were used in many Eastern countries as far as Persia currently known as the Baghdad Battery. It sounds like you've really researched this topic, Chakravarth! That's true! We also wouldn't have the lightbulb, or many other gadgets such as refrigerators and washing machines! Electricity definitely provides us with daily conveniences, such as light and computer. Electricity continues to help our world grow and develop.

Thanks for commenting! Thank you for pointing out that Nikola Tesla developed the alternating-current electrical system that's widely used today. He developed a lot more than just the ac electrical system. I found your article to be highly lacking in accurate information.

Hi, Natalie! Thanks for sharing your thoughts about this Wonder! Sometimes it it only the start of your Wonder Journey! We always encourage you to keep researching at your library and online!

Thanks so much, Nick! We're super happy that you learned something new and had fun, too! We're glad to see that you are enjoying our science Wonder, HaiShy! Thanks for sharing your comment! Actually, the early Byzantines made something very similar! Byzantine hand grenades with Greek fire in the 10th to 12th centuries are on display in the National Museum at Athens. The use of Greek fire, or rather variants thereof, spread to Muslim armies in the Near East, from where it reached China by the 10th century.

SciFi short story subject: In the not too distant future our sciences find a way to peer back into time. Soon after we conquer time travel itself.

The first traveler was accidentally transported into the ancient past, one Artie Mendez, a well known genius physicist working on the time travel project. He accidentally transported himself into far past by walking into two convergent monopole beams which had been less than accurately aligned by the ultra high frequency radio energy that was supposed to hold them in place.

Several days later he gets spotted by a passing caravan and kidnapped for ransom… His captors can not pronounce his name and simply call him Archemedes…. Skip to content.