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Over 2500 years ago, a Greek mathematician named Thales of Miletus rubbed a piece of amber with a silk cloth. The amber attracted light objects such as grass and feathers.
Although Thales did not know what had happened, we now know that it had become electrically charged. -
William Gilbert was an English scientist who served Queen Elizabeth I. He invented the word electricity from the Greek word for amber, "elektron". He was also the first to use the terms electric force, magnetic pole and electric attraction. He realized that there was a connection between magnetism and electricity.
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William Gilbert proved that many materials had the same property as amber, being able to attract light objects. Previously, people believed that this attribute was unique to amber.
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Benjamin Franklin was a famous US politican. Franklin's kite experiment, where he flew a kite with a metal tip in a thunderstorm, showed that lightning was electricity. He was also the first person to use the terms positive charge and negative charge.
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In the 1700's lightning caused many fires. So Benjamin Franklin invented the lightning rod, which is a tall rod that is attached outside of a house. One end points up to the sky, the other end is connected to a cable. This cable goes down the side of the house to the ground. The end of the cable is buried deep under the ground. This attraced lightning and brought it down under the ground to prevent fires.
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Galvani was an italian scientist as well as a medical doctor. While he was examining a dead frog, He discovered that when a was charge applied to the spinal cord, muscle spasms could be generated through the body. Later Galvani use a brass hook to hold the frog's muscle. The brass hook was attached to an iron railing. A spark traveled between the brass hook and iron railing and made the muscle move.
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In this year, Alessandro Volta made the voltaic pile, which was later known as the electric battery. It was the first device able to produce a steady electric current.
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This Danish physicist discovered that an electric current in wire can cause a magnetized compass needle to go in another direction. This inspired the development of electromagnetic theory.
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In the 1870's, Thomas Edison built a direct current (DC) electric generator. This later provided all of New York's electricity.
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In the summer of 1876, Alexander Graham Bell invented the first telephone using a thin sheet of metal, some wire wrapped around a magnet and a battery. It was able to convert sound into electricity and then back to sound. Unlike the modern day phone, the people using the phone would have to move the reciever between the mouth and ear.
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In this year, Thomas Edison improved, not invented, a lightbulb. He improved the quality of a 50-year old idea. It was a reliable, lasting source of electric light.
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In the 1880's, Nikola Tesla invented an alternating current (AC) motor and a system that generated AC power. Thomas Edison didn't like Tesla's system, because it was a threat to his DC supply. Edison started stories that it was not safe. He even built an electric chair that used AC to try to prove this. But after Tesla's system was used to power 100 000 lights in the Chicago World Fair, AC became very popular. He is the true inventor of fluoroscent light and the radio.
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In this year, Nikola Tesla invented the Tesla Coil. It is still used today in radio and television sets, as well as other electronic equipment.
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Albert Einstein showed that light energy could be turned into electricity. Thus, the idea behind photovoltaic cells was made.
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This year, Edwars Samuels Rogers from Ontario made the first radio that could be plugged into a wall outlet.
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This year, Donald L. Hings of British Columbia invented the portable transceiver, also known as the Walkie-Talkie.
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This Canadian invented the electric wheelchair.
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Pierre Couture, from Quebec, is working on a car that has four electric motors on each of the wheels.
