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350
(BC) Energy "Comes to Terms"
Developed by Aristotle, the term "energy" origionates from the Greek word "Enérgeia". Although Enérgeia cannot be directly translated to English, it is often defined as "being at work". -
Jan 1, 600
(BC) The Discovery of Static Electricity
Thales, a man from Greece, observed that when amber and silk were rubbed together, the amber attracted other objects He did not know it yet, but he had discovered static electricity. -
The Coining of the Word: Electricity!
William Gilbert was the first man to coin the term electricity. He made the word from the base elektron, which is the Greek word for amber. He was also the first person to use phrases such as: electric force, magnetic pole, and electric attraction. -
Conductors Are Discovered
Stephen Gray observes and identifies the differences between materials that conduct or do not conduct electrical charges. -
Electric Capacitator #1!
Georg Von Kleist, a German, created the first "electric capacitator", a mechanism for storing electricity. -
Ben Franklin's Letter About His Disovery
Benjamin Franklin tells in a letter abot his discovery that a conductor with a point can draw electric charges away from a charge body. This is the information off which he bases the lightning rod. This occured before Ben even proved the relatonship between electricity and lightning. Ben Franklin actually installed a lighting rod on his house in 1749! -
"The Discovery of Electricity"
Benjamin Franklin discovers electricity while conducting an experiment where he supposedly flew a kite in a lightning storm and discovered the connection between lightning and electricity. This exact "kite in a storm" scenario has been disproven, however Ben is still known as "The Father of Electricity"! Many say this was not the "true/complete" discovery of electricity, but this event did lead to the invention of the lightning rod. -
The Discovery of Electromagnetism
Hans Christian Orsted discovered electromagnetism in 1820. He was meeting with colleagues to show them a demonstration involving electicity. When he began the demonstration he realized that the needle on a compass that was close by (it was intended to be used in a different demonstration) shifted. -
First Electric Motor
Michael Faraday created the first electric motor. His experiment consisted of a wire dangling into a pool of mercury with a magnet inside that would revolve around a magnet that was in the pool or mercury if given electricity by a battery. -
First Attempt at Incadescent Light (no specific month or day)
In 1809, an English chemist named Humphrey Davy, was the first scientist to attempt to create an incandescent light. He used a powerful battery to generate an electrical current between two strips of charcoal. The current between the two charcoal strips generated an intense glowing light. His experiment was the first known arc lamp.
