Electricity Timeline

BC, Thales of Miletus

Jul 18, 625

Thales of Miletus conducted an experiment by rubbing a peice of amber and silk together. This created the peice of amber to be charged and it attracted several small objects such as a feather and grass. Although, Thales didn't realise he had just made static electrcity, scientests of later generations took this experiment to great use.

Otto von Guericke

Jul 18, 1660

Otto von Guericke invented a machine that was able to produce static electricity. It was a sulgur ball on a pole placed inside a glass ball and was operated by cranking the lever with your hand. The sulfur ball rubbed against the glass ball and produced little sparks. Although, Otto von Guericke had no idea what these sparks were, it helped other inventors with their experiments.

James Wimshurst

Jul 18, 1700

James Wimshurst had invented the Wimshurst machine in the 1700's. It was a machine with two parallel plates that spun in opposite directions. This produced static charges at the edges of both plates. The charges were collected by combs. This machine was able to produce sparks up to 4 inches long and voltages as high as 50 000 volts depending on the air around it.

Francis Hauksbee

Jul 18, 1705

Francis Hauksbee had put mercury in a glass globe, let the air out and started spinning it. In the dark, when he rubbed his hand against it, it started glowing. Francis Hauksbee didn't realise, but he had just invented the neon light which was later improved on and didn't need spinning to make it glow.

Benjamin Franklin

Jul 18, 1749

In 1749, Benjamin Franlin had invented the "Franklin rod". Now called the lightning rod, he discovered that pointed objects gather more electricity than blunt ones. The lightning rod is used on some houses or buildings today to prevent any lighning shocks to the house. A pointed metal peice goes on the roof with a wire running down the side to peice in the ground. Thiss way when lighning strikes the house, it follows the current and does no harm.

Benjamin Franklin

Jul 18, 1752

Benjamin Franklin was famous for his great accomplishments. In 1752, he proved that lightning and electricity were the same thing althogh, it could be positively or negatively charged.Franklin proved that by doing the kite expirement. Franklin tied a key to the end of a kite and proved that when lightning struck the kite, the electricity was transferred to the key. When he touched the key, it shocked him. Today, this proves that clouds can give off static discharges and lightning is electricty.

Luigi Galvani

Jul 18, 1786

Luigi Galvani, an Italian scientist discovered that he was able to move a dead frog's leg when two metals where touching it. He noticed that there was a little spark. Galvani thought this was because the spark travelled from one metal to another and then to the frog's leg. He tested his theory in a lightning storm by connecting a metal rod from a railing to the frog's leg. When lightning struck the railing, the electricty travelled through the metal rod and made the frog's leg move.

Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio Volta

Jul 18, 1796

Alessandro Volta wanted to be able to make electricity rather than observe it. He put several liquids in seperate containers and connected them with several metals. He connected salt water with copper and zinc and he was able to produce a spark of electricity. His formula was the first to produce a steady, reliable electric current. His formula was later used in batteries to produce the electricity.

Hans Christian Oersted

Jul 18, 1820

Hans Christian Oersted was the first person to observe electromagnetism. During one of his lectures, he saw that a compass needle deflected when it was brought near a wire that had an electric current going through. By the summer of 1820, he had published his theory that there was a circular magnetic field around the wire. This proved that electricity and magnetism were both completely independent forces.

Michael Faraday

Jul 18, 1821

Michael Faraday studied electricity his whole life. In 1821, while working with magnets, he realised that if a magnet were to be held still, a wire would rotate and move around. From this experiment, Michael Faradayh was able to creat a basic model of an electric model.

Henry Woodward

Jul 24, 1874

Henry Woodward, a Canadian, invented the electric lightbulb with his partner Mathew Evens. The lightbulb was a glass tube with a shaped peice of carbon connected to two metal wires (electrodes). Inside the tube, they added inert nitrogen to help keep the lightbulb working and burning for a longer period of time. The lightbulb was fully effective and lasted for long periods of time.

Alexander Graham Bell

Jul 1, 1876

Alexander Graham Bell was a Canadian. he invented and used the first telephone with his partner Watson. This phone was able to convert sound into electricity and back again. The electricity, unlike phones today, travelled through a wire to the get to the other phone. The first phone had a seperate peice for hearing and talking. this sometimes confused people as they didn't know when to talk or when to listen. This system is still used today although, we have wireless phones that use sattelites.

Edward Samuel Rogers Sr.

Jul 18, 1927

Edward Samuel Rogers Sr., a Canadian, invented the first plug-in radio. Batteries were very bulky and expensive at the time so Edward Samuel Rogers Sr. used a plug to power the radio. When you plugged it into the plug, the electricity followed the current of the plug and went into the radio. This powered it without having to use the batteries.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Jul 18, 1933

Franklin D. Roosevelt had formed one of his most successful programs, the Tennessee Valley Authority. It supplied electricity to the people of America. The electric dams had brought changes to the farmers near the area and helped them grow many crops. By 1950, the Tennessee Valley Authority was the nation's top supplier of electricity.

Donald Lewes Hings

Jul 18, 1937

Donald Lewes Hings, a Canadian, invented the "packset" also known as the walkie-talkie in 1937. It worked like a radio, the person would talk into the walkie-talkie, the message would travel by air until a person with another receiver had got the message. It was also know as a radio signaling system. Hings had designed many models of the walkie-talkie for the U.S army. He sold over 18 000 units.

Lewis Frederick Urry

Mar 3, 1957

Lewis Frederick Urry, a Canadian, invented both the lithium and alkaline battery. Throughout the 1950's, many inventors had tried to experiment with alkaline batteries although none of them could find a way to make an efficient one. Lewis Frederick Urry discovered that manganese dioxide and zinc work well together with an alkaline substance. The battery didn't generate enough power so Urry used powdered zinc. With advanced technology, batteries nowadays last up to 40 times the original one.