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500 BCE
Thales of Miletus
This pre-Socratic Greek philosopher was the first to recognize and study electricity.
He discovered static electricity by rubbing animal fur on amber. -
Benjamin Franklin's Kite Experiment
Benjamin Franklin reintroduced the idea of electricity in the 18th century with his kite experiment. This experiment consisted of a kite that had a ket attached at the end of the string, which was then connected to a Leyden Jar.
When lighting struck the kite, electric current would travel through the string, pass through the key, and finalize in the Leyden Jar, which acted as a battery and stored electricity. -
Invention of Light Bulb
Thomas Edison invented the conventional light bulb that was an electric lamp with carbon filament. -
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War of Currents
Thomas Edison competed with Nikola Tesla on which type of current was better.
Thomas Edison invented direct current electricity (DC) which powered homes, cities, and govt installments. DC came with problems like killing children & starting house fires. DC could only travel 2 miles until needing a sub-station.
Nikola Tesla invented Alternating Current electricity (AC). This is the type of current that we use now all over the world. AC could travel hundreds of miles without having a sub-station. -
World Fair
Nikola Tesla implemented his AC power to power the whole world fair.
