Quick introduction to the discovery of Electricity from fire to light

Alexander Collazo

The history of electricity begins whit William Gilbert was Queens Elizabeth I own Physician, his primary scientific work was De Magnete, Magneticisque Corporibus, et de Magno Magnete Tellure in which he explained why compasses point north and that the earth itself was magnetic. In 1660, the German Otto von Guericke invented a machine that produced static electricity; this was the first electric generator. Later Stephen Gray discovered the principle of conduction and Charles Francois du Fay discovered the two forms of electricity positive and negative. In 1745, The Leyden jar the original capacitor was invented, at this time electricity was considered a mysterious fluid or force. During the 1750’s Benjamin Franklin discovered that lightning where electricity whit his kite experiment and also invited the lightning rod, because of this electricity was associated with light and the people all over the world where in need of a safer way to light up their homes, because fire has never been a safe way of light. Then in the 1800 Alessandro Volta created the first battery, finally a safe dependable source of energy, its power was measured in volts. Thanks to Michael Faraday the current began, man discovered that he could induce a current by passing a magnet through a wire, generators and motors where based in this principle. During 1879 Thomas Edison was focused in the creation of a long lasting light bulb, Edison’s problem was to find a material that didn’t burn while passing electricity through it. Edison discovered that when passing electricity trough a normal cotton string soaked in carbon it becomes incandescent and doesn’t burn and it glowed. Later Edison designed and crafted the first electric plant and system able to generate electricity and carry it to house. Edison’s pearl street power station was had power enough to light up 5000 light bulbs and had about 85 clients. Then thanks to the creation of alternating current systems the electric age began, wich was revolutionary because electricity could be transported than ever before, while direct current couldn’t transport electricity one square mile alternating current could transport electricity more than 200 miles. From there on the world has growth to be addicted to electricity, also thanks to electricity we have developed technologies that in the pass where known as science fiction, who know what awaits in the future…

Bibliography:

http://inventors.about.com/cs/inventorsalphabet/a/electricity_5.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org

http://www.need.org/needpdf/infobook_activities/IntInfo/Elec3I.pdf