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The History of Electricity and the Creation of the Electrical Engineering Major
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The word "electricity" is born
William Gilbert first coins the term "electricity" from the Greek word for amber, "electron", in his published work "On the Magnet". -
Scientist Stephen Gray discovers the conduction of electricity
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The positive and the negative...
French chemist Charles Francois du Fay discovered that electricity comes in two forms which he called resinous (-) and vitreous (+). -
Ben Franklin flies a kite...
Benjamin Franklin proves that lightning is electricity when he flies a kite in a thunderstorm with a metal key at the end of the string. Franklin develops the lightning rod helping to reduce house fires. -
First electric battery invented
This early battery, the voltaic pile, was created by Italian scientist Alessandro Volta. The Volt, the SI unit for electrical potential, is named in his honor. -
First electrical generator invented
Hippolyte Pixii, an instrument maker from France, invents the first generator capable of delviering power for industry. -
"Ampere's Law" developed
Andre-Marie Ampere was one of the founders of the science of classical electromagnetism. This mathematical and physical theory studied the relationship between electricty and magnetism. The SI unit of measurement of electric current, "the ampere", is named after him. -
First electric motor invented
Chemistry professor Michael Faraday 's early motor devices paved the way for future electic motors. -
"Ohm's Law"
Georg Ohm, studying Volta's battery, discovers the relationship between voltage and electic current. The SI unit of electrical resistance is named the "ohm" after this German physicist and mathematician. -
First electric relay invented
American scientist Joseph Henry invents the first relay, an electrically operated switch, used to send electrical currents long distances. This invention paved the way for the telegraph. -
First fuel cell invented
Sir William Robert Grove develops the "gas voltaic battery", a device that produces electrical energy by combinging hydrogen and oxygen. -
Electrical telegraph invented
American inventor Samuel Morse invents the telegraph, a machine that could send messages across long distances through wire. -
"A Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field" is published
J. C. Maxwell publishes a work on the electromagnetic field which is considered "the second great unification of physics. Maxwell's four laws of electrodynamics called "Maxwell's Equations" would lead to the future invention of radios and televisions. -
First industrial generator invented
German industrialist Werner von Siemens invents the first industrial generator, Siemens is regarded as the "father of electrical engineering" in Germany. -
Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone
Bell's invention used electricity to conduct speech and was known at the time as the "most valuable patent". -
First incandescent light bulb created
British physicist and chemist Sir Joseph Wilson Swan invents the first incandescent light bulb, though it had a very short life span, before its invention by Thomas Edison. -
Thomas Edison founded Edison Electric Light Co.
Edison creates an industrial research laboratory and begins to research a longer lasting light bulb, improving on Swan's design. -
Edison invents the first modern incandescent light bulb
Improving on the designs of those before him, Edison's bulb used a filmament of carbonized thread and burned for thirteen and a half hours. -
First college chair and faculty created
Darmstadt University of Technology creates first chair and faculty of electrical engineering in the world. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology began offering the first option of electrical engineering within a physics department. -
First courses of study in electrical engineering offered
Darmstadt University of Technology in Germany and Cornell University in the United States offer courses in electrical engineering. -
First department of engineering in the US
The University of Missouri establishes the first department of electrical engineering in the United States.
