Who Invented Electricity? History, Scientists, and Invention of the light bulb made Electricity a household name

It would be more accurate to say ‘who discovered electricity’ instead of ‘who invented electricity’.  There were many scientists involved in the discovery of electricity; however the main credit goes to Benjamin Franklin who discovered electricity using a kite-flying experiment in 1752.

Though electricity already existed in the universe, it has to be explored and understood. Where scientists were restricted to static electricity, Benjamin Franklin came up with the idea that electricity has both positive and negative elements.

Further, scientists like Thomas Edison expanded the studies of Benjamin Franklin and came up with his most famous invention- the light bulb.

Discovery Phases of Electricity

Electricity has a long and interesting history. It was not limited to what Benjamin Franklin discovered. People were looking for a cheap and reasonable source to light their homes and scientists’ thoughts, electricity is a good option as it already existed.

However, it was an untouched story, and hence, depth research was required in this field. Scientists started their journey on “how is electricity generated” and moved to “how does electricity work”.

In the initial phase, people were aware of electric fish. They used to refer it as the “Thunderer of the Nile” and consider it a “protector” of all other fish. It was also used to cure ailments like gout or headache.

600 BCE– An ancient Greek pre-Socratic philosopher Thales of Miletus conducted a series of observations referring to static electricity.

Year 1600– An English physician, physicist, and natural philosopher William Gilbert published his scientific work “De Magnete” in 1600. He recognized the connection between magnetism and electricity and elaborated the Earth’s magnetic field.

17th and early 18th centuries– Robert Boyle, Otto von Guericke, Stephen Gray and C. F. du Fay continued the studies on electricity.

Year 1752– An American Scientist Benjamin Franklin conducted a popular kite-flying experiment and proved that lightning is a form of electricity.

Year 1775- A Scottish surgeon John Hunter elaborated the structure of electric organs of the fish.

Year 1791- An Italian physician Luigi Galvani published his work on bioelectromagnetics- the interaction between electromagnetic fields and biological entities. He described

Year 1821- The electric motor was invented by an English Scientist Michael Faraday.

Year 1827: A German physicist and mathematician Georg Simon Ohm analyzed the electrical circuit. He discovered that there is a direct proportionality between the voltage applied across a conductor and electric current and created Ohm’s law.

Late 19th century: Due to the exceptional discoveries of Ottó Bláthy, Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, Oliver Heaviside, Galileo Ferraris, Ányos Jedlik, Charles Algernon Parsons, Joseph Swan, Werner von Siemens, Reginald Fessenden, George Westinghouse, and Nikola Tesla electricity became a critical tool for modern life.

Year 1905: A German-born theoretical physicist Albert Einstein released a paper on the photoelectric effect. He also bagged the Nobel Prize in Physics for “his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect” in 1921.

Studies and research are still going on and there are many things that still need to be explored.

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Scientists Involved in the Discovery of Electricity  

We have listed only a few in this list, many other scientists already contributed and are contributing their best in the field of electricity.

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Journey from Electric Charge to Current

The journey from electric charge to current was never easy. A noted German physicist Otto von Guericke invented the “electrifying machine” using a rotating sulphur ball in 1672 that was able to generate electric charges. He later founded the luminous effect and induction.

After 61 years in 1733, a French scientist Charles du Fray proved the existence of two different charges. The early form of the capacitor was invented by scientists Ewald Georg von Kleist and Pieter van Muschenbroek in 1745 and 1746.

Discovery Phase of Ohm’s Law

Here the term V refers to Voltage, I refers to Current and R refers to Resistance.

The first battery was invented by an Italian physicist and chemist Alessandro Volta in 1800. Later in 1820, a French physicist and mathematician discovered the major influence of magnets and electromagnetism.

In 1826, a German physicist and mathematician Georg Simon Ohm discovered the connection between voltage, current, and resistance and created Ohm’s Law.

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Invention of the light bulb made Electricity a household name

Electricity finally entered private households with the invention of the carbon-filament light bulb by Thomas Alva Edison in 1880. Since then, the world has witnessed the fastest growth of electrical devices.

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