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2750 BCE
Electric Fish
An electric fish is any fish that can generate electric fields. Electric fish species can be found both in the ocean and in freshwater rivers of South America and Africa. Many fish such as sharks, rays and catfishes can detect electric fields and are thus electroreceptive, but they are not classified as electric fish because they cannot generate electricity. Electric fish produce their electrical fields from a an electric organ.This organ is located in the tail of the electric fish. -
600 BCE
Thales of Miletus described static electricity
Thales of Miletus, was a Greek mathematician, astronomer and pre-Socratic philosopher. He described static electricity: is an imbalance of electric charges within or on the surface of a material. The charge remains until it is able to move away by means of an electric current or electrical discharge. A static electric charge can be created whenever two surfaces contact and separate, and at least one of the surfaces has a high resistance to electric current -
1300
Lightning
Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electrically charged regions in the atmosphere or ground temporarily equalize themselves, causing the instantaneous release of as much as one gigajoule of energy. Lightning causes thunder, a sound from the shock wave which develops as gases in the vicinity of the discharge experience a sudden increase in pressure. Lightning occurs commonly during thunderstorms and other types of energetic weather systems -
Luigi Galvani discovered the Galvanic action
Luigi Galvani was an Italian physician, physicist, biologist and philosopher, who discovered animal electricity. He is recognized as the pioneer of bioelectromagnetics.Galvanic action is an electrochemical process in which one metal corrodes preferentially when it is in electrical contact with another, in the presence of an electrolyte. A similar galvanic reaction is exploited in primary cells to generate a useful electrical voltage to power portable devices. -
The electric battery
A battery is a device consisting of one or more electrochemical cells with external connections for powering electrical devices. Alessandro Volta invented the electric battery and the discoverer of methane. He invented the Voltaic pile in 1799. With this invention Volta proved that electricity could be generated chemically and debunked the prevalent theory that electricity was generated solely by living beings. Volta's invention sparked a great amount of scientific excitement. -
Atomic theory
John Dalton was an English chemist, physicist, and meteorologist. He is best known for introducing the atomic theory. Atomic theory is a scientific theory of the nature of matter, which states that matter is composed of discrete units called atoms. It began as a philosophical concept in ancient Greece and entered the scientific mainstream in the early 19th century when discoveries in the field of chemistry showed that matter did indeed behave as if it were made up of atoms. -
Electrical telegraph
An electrical telegraph was a point-to-point text messaging system, used from the 1840s until better systems became widespread. It used coded pulses of electric current through dedicated wires to transmit information over long distances. It was the first electrical telecommunications system. Consisted of two or more geographically separated stations (often called telegraph offices) connected by wires, usually supported overhead on utility poles. -
Electrical resistance
The electrical resistance of an object is a measure of its opposition to the flow of electric current. The inverse quantity is electrical conductance, and is the ease with which an electric current passes. The SI unit of electrical resistance is the ohm (Ω), while electrical conductance is measured in siemens (S). Ohm's law states that the current through a conductor between two points is directly proportional to the voltage across the two points. -
The transformer
A transformer is a passive electrical device that transfers electrical energy from one electrical circuit to one or more circuits. Electrical energy can be transferred between the (possibly many) coils, without a metallic connection between the two circuits. Nicholas Callan was an Irish priest and scientist from Darver is best known for his work on the induction coil and invented the transformer. -
Gustav Kirchhoff
He was a German physicist who contributed to the fundamental understanding of electrical circuits with the Kirchhoff laws. Kirchhoff's first law states that, for any node (junction) in an electrical circuit, the sum of currents flowing into that node is equal to the sum of currents flowing out of that node. And Kirchhoff's second law states that, the directed sum of the potential differences (voltages) around any closed loop is zero. -
The telephone
Alexander Graham Ball was a Scottish-born, American inventor, scientist, and engineer who is credited with inventing and patenting the first practical telephone. He also co-founded the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) in 1885. -
Incandescent light bulb
Is an electric light with a wire filament heated until it glows. The filament is enclosed in a bulb to protect the filament from oxidation. Current is supplied to the filament by terminals or wires embedded in the glass. A bulb socket provides mechanical support and electrical connections. Joseph Swan conclude that Edison's version was able to outstrip the others because of a combination of three factors: an effective incandescent material, a higher vacuum and a high resistance. -
Heinrich Hertz
Was a German physicist who first conclusively proved the existence of the electromagnetic waves. The unit of frequency, cycle per second, was named the "Hertz" in his honor. Electromagnetic radiation refers to the waves of the electromagnetic field, propagating through space, carrying electromagnetic radiant energy. It includes radio waves, microwaves, infrared, (visible) light, ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays. They travel at the speed of light. -
LED
A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor light source that emits light when current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy in the form of photons. The color of the light is determined by the energy required for electrons to cross the band gap of the semiconductor. LEDs are used in remote-control circuits, such as those used with a wide variety of consumer electronics.The first visible-light LEDs were of low intensity and red. -
Electronic calculator
An electronic calculator is typically a portable electronic device used to perform calculations, ranging from basic arithmetic to complex mathematics. The first solid-state electronic calculator was created in the early 1960s. Pocket-sized devices became available in the 1970s, especially after the Intel 4004, the first microprocessor, was developed by Intel for the Japanese calculator company Busicom.
