History of Electricity

The history of electricity reveals a series of discoveries with the simplest discoveries being made first and more complex discoveries being made later. Some discoveries could not be made without certain prior discoveries having been made. The earliest forms of electricity to be experienced by people were those that occur naturally such as lightning and those resulting from simple activities like rubbing an object which causes electricity by means of friction. Systematic experimentation concerning electricity began after the scientific revolution with scientists constructing simple machines to create electricity and conducting simple experiments that showed electric charges could be positive or negative and that insulating material could stop an electric charge being lost from a charged object. This led to the invention of the Leyden jar which enabled electricity to be stored and used in later experiments. Notably, Franklin's experiments using Leyden jars further expanded human knowledge of electricity. The progression to current electricity required prior discoveries like the voltaic pile, leading to significant milestones in understanding the connection between electricity and magnetism, the invention of the electromagnet, and eventually Faraday's invention of the electric motor and generator. As practical electric generators and motors emerged alongside the electric light, the use of electricity surged in society, marking an inevitable progression spurred by technological openness.