Electricity Timeline

Thales of Miletus (624 bce –546 bce)

Mar 2, 600

In 600 bce thales discovered static electricity by rubbing a peice of amber with silk. Thales was one of the first great electrical scientists. He also conducted many other static electrical experiments.

Charles Francois du Fay (1698-1739)

Mar 4, 1733

Francois discovered that electricity comes in posotive and negative charges which he call resinous(-)and vitreous(+). Benjiman Franklin later renamed them posotive and negative charges

Ewald Georg Von Kleist(1700 –1748) and Pieter van Musschenbroek ( 1692 –1761)

Mar 4, 1745

Georg Von Kleist discovered that electricity was controllable. Dutch physicist, Pieter van Musschenbroek invented the "Leyden Jar" the first electrical capacitor. Leyden jars store static electricity.

Benjiman Franklin (1706-1790)

Mar 2, 1752

Benjiman Franklin discvovered that lightning was a type of electricity using the kite and key experiment. this was when he tied a key to a kite and flew the kite in a thunderstorm, causing the lightning to hit the key and give Franklin a shock provingt his theory true.

Luigi Galvani (sept 9 1737 - dec 4 1798)

Mar 1, 1780

In 1870 Galvani started very careful experiments on static electricity in nerves and muscles in animals.

Alessandro Volta (1745-1827)

Mar 2, 1800

Discovered constant current electricity somewhere between 1790 and 1800. He also invented the voltaic pile, the first electric battery. Because of his achievments in electricity other scientists named the volt after him. As an added bonus Napeleon made him a count in 1801

Hans Christian Oersted (1777-1851)

Mar 2, 1820

He deiscovered electromagnetic induction in 1820 while giving a lecture on induction. Also he worked on the commpressibility of gasses. He was also deeply influenced by Imanuel Kant.

Joseph Henry (1797 – 1878)

Mar 4, 1827

Joseph Henry's electromagnetic experiments lead to the concept of electrical inductance. Joseph Henry built one of the first electrical motors.

Michael Faraday (1791 –1867)

Mar 4, 1831

Principles of electromagnetism induction, generation and transmission discovered by Michael Faraday.

Alexander Graham Bell

Jul 18, 1867

1867 was a veryimportant year for Alexander graham Bell. This was because this was the year he got his patent for the telephone and when the first message by telephone was delivered. In addition to the telephone Bell worked on many other electrical devices.

James Clerk Maxwell (1831 – 1879)

Mar 4, 1873

James Clerk Maxwell wrote equations that described the electromagnetic field, and predicted the existence of electromagnetic waves traveling with the speed of light.

Henry Woodward (date unknown)

Mar 2, 1874

Thomas Edison (1847 –1931)

Mar 4, 1877

Thomas edison had over 1000 patents during the couse of his life, but not all of them were directly invented by him. One of these is the lightbulb which was actually invented by henry woodward. edison later bought the patent from woodward. Edison's first great inventions was the tin foil phonograph.