Who Discovered Electricity?

science engineering

The history of electricity goes back more than two thousand years, to the time the Ancient Greeks discovered that rubbing fur on amber caused an attraction between the two. By the 17th century, many electricity-related discoveries had been made, such as the invention of an early electrostatic generator, the differentiation between positive and negative currents, and the classification of materials as conductors or insulators. In the year 1600, English physician William Gilbert conned the term electric, from the Greek elektron, to identify the force that certain substances exert when rubbed against each other.

While many believe Benjamin Franklin to be the father of electricity, current findings seem to show otherwise. In 1752, Franklin is said to have performed the famous experiment of flying a kite during a thunderstorm, which led to the discovery that lightning and electricity were somehow related. Modern scientists know this to be something of a tall tale, since being hit by lightning would have been fatal. It's likely that Franklin was actually insulated, away from the path of lightning.

The kite experiment helped Franklin establish a relationship between lightning and electricity, which led to the invention of the lightning rod. Benjamin Franklin went on to observe other phenomena related to electricity, but many believe that he didn't actually discover its true nature.

In 1800, Italian-born physicist Alessandro Volta constructed the voltaic pile, later known as the electric battery, the first device to produce a steady electric current. It was Volta, not Franklin, who discovered that certain chemical reactions could produce electricity. Volta also created the first transmission of electricity by linking positively-charged and negatively-charged connectors and driving an electrical charge, or voltage, through them.

It wasn't until 1831 that electricity became viable for use in technology. English scientist Michael Faraday created the electric dynamo, a crude precursor of modern power generators. This invention opened the door to the new era of electricity. A few decades later, in 1879, Thomas Alva Edison invented the light bulb.

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60
thanks for the help GEEKS!
- anon52349
58
This site seems to not exactly help people. you say that it was discovered by some greek guy and franklin had no real significance.
- anon52142
57
Very good in my thoughts.
- anon51811
54
europeans never invented anything. they just claimed other more advanced civilizations technology as their own.
- anon49121
53
i know now who discovered electricity, but who discovered electricity from fruit?
- anon48809
48
of course no one invented electricity. it was spoken into existence by God during Creation.

so it is only these folks who discovered it.

- anon44435
45
who discovered electrical current?
- anon44100
44
thanks for the answer but i cannot actually understand and know who really discovered electricity.
- anon42998
43
who "discovered electricity." Thanks for the info but i still don't understand who invented electricity.
- anon42442
41
if franklin did not discover electricity then who did it actually?
- anon41934
38
has anyone mentioned the 'baghdad battery'?
- anon37578
37
@7 and @10, Tesla was instrumental in the AC vs DC (Edison) argument. One of his concepts was to "ship" AC current via towers and air. Too many people scared of getting between the two receptors and getting fried. Copper one out, as did AC in the US.

He's as close to this discussion as any others mentioned.

- anon37331
36
want to say a big thank u to you out there for this info.Discovery as it sounds, i believe it franklin who discovered electricity, only he never processed it to something useful to mankind, which Alessandro Volta, Michael Faraday,Thomas elva edison and others did to which they all deserve celebration as this. Imagine a world without electricity, though if they don't some will still make it happen, for it was designed to happen as Job's prophecy says, "Man will put an end to darkness" Job 28. all thanks to the living God who in his awesome power made us powerful, peace out
- anon36318
35
Thomas Edison didn't invent the light bulb...it was a British inventor "Joseph something", he invented the bulb 10 months before Edison
- anon36122
34
I'm doing a report and i need to know who discovered electricity..... I always thought it was ben franklin?
- anon36056
32
how and when did electricity start?
- anon33490
30
So there were different people who discovered different types of electricity, right?
- anon31329
29
This is extremely useful! Thanks for the info. I will read it all over again and again.
- benson
27
what did Galvani, Volta and Gilbert discover with electricity?
- anon28770
26
What did franklin actually find out?
- anon28045
24
We were sitting around the table talking about how people discovered things and the names that were attributed to the discoveries. It was then we all thought that with the amazing discovery of electricity, no name came to mind. So while we were racking our brains my son thought we should consult Google. We would like to thank whoever put this information on this site for putting us out of our agony.
- anon22955
22
I think Ben still discovered electricity because lots of people have been hit by lighting and survived so i still think he did.
- anon19592
21
who discovered electrical current?
- anon19069
20
Dude.... I always thought that ben was so great because he "discovered" electricity. What a faker. He shouldn't even have his face on the US $100 note. Voltas or some of those other guys should be on that note.
- anon16956
18
Hmm i think the Egyptians electroplated gold in the time of the great pyramids so how is it that this history is forgotten? They must have had an advanced knowledge not just of electricity but chemistry.
- anon16100
16
If Benjamin Franklin didn't invent electricity even though it is impossible, how come he gets all the credit, and does this mean that Benjamin Franklin did not go out in the lightning and get shocked? Thanks for all the information.
- anon9976
12
Thanks, guys! The info was extremely useful to me
- anon6946
11
The last paragraph talks about when electricity became viable for use in technology. It mentions the Farady dynamo and Edison light bulb. The reality is it was much later in the 19th century when Tesla’s polyphase generators appeared that electricity became viable for technology. Telsa’s AC system eventually won out over Edison's DC system and created the basis for modern viable practical applications of electricity as we know it today. I always find it amusing how much credit Edison gets for Tesla’s work…
- anon6719
10
lol. Why would Tesla be mentioned here. This isn't an article regarding inventions to be used with electricity. this is a who discovered electricty.
- anon6672
9
what is the original lemon battery?
- anon6145
7
I am suprised no one mentions tesla in all this. The modern AC system was (all tesla NOT Edison). Tesla later sold his patents to westinghouse and holds 700 other patents including the patent for wireless or Radio which was taken away from marconi in 1943 in favor of tesla's earlier claims. Yet with all this I am continually amazed at how many electical engineers have never heard of him...
- anon5964
6
who discovered a battery made from fruit?
- anon4545
4
where did volta invent his battery?
- anon1513
1
what did galvani and volta discover with electricity?
- anon378

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Written by Diana Bocco
Last Modified: 13 November 2009

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