The History Of Electricity

Electricity plays a very important role in our society, it is almost impossible to imagine the world we live in today without electricity. Thanks to many inventors and scientists that had studied and innovated electricity to use it to make light and power engines living around the world easier. The first to discover that the lightings were electrical was Benjamin Franklin in 1752 who survived his experiment where he tied a key to a kite, the electricity from the storm clouds flowed down the wet string and he received an electrical shock. He luckily survived and was happy that his idea worked out. It was the beginning of a long era of inventing and innovating the electricity that had changed our lives, but exactly how has electricity changed people’s lives?

The time where humanity went into the electricity era was a huge step in human history, it opened a new chapter in our history, we can say it was a new beginning because of how many opportunities electricity gave us. It all could not happen without scientists who through those hundreds of years were inventing and innovating their ideas so we can use the technology we use today. At the very beginning scientists like Alessandro Volta, Georg Simon Ohm or Andre-Marie Ampere were studying electricity and its possibilities. Thomas Edison was one of the inventors and scientists, many people believe that he invented the light bulb, but he ‘stole’ or as many still think ‘innovated’ the idea.

Through the hundreds of years, there were as many good ideas as there are stars in the sky. Many of them did a very good success and we still use them to this day. A good example can be Nicola Tesla than stood up against Thomas Edison’s idea with DC (Direct Current) where he saw many disadvantages and came up with his idea, AC (Alternating Current) where the electricity can be transported both ways and not like with DC where It goes only one way. Like with the batteries. Tesla was one of the smartest humans that we know, but not all of his ideas worked out well. One day he made the invention that was supposed to prevent earthquakes by sending impulses, which would reduce tensions between tectonic plates, which resulted in a big earthquake in Manhattan.

Many other smaller ideas have made our lives how they are today, and we can think of hundreds of things here. Radios, TVs, cars, phones, lights, engines or even microwaves require electricity to work, their functions are based on electricity, the AC that powers up those devices, and DC that is used to control the electronics inside. Electricity is used to make and control everything nowadays. You are probably reading this using internet which servers are powered up by electricity, as well as the device you use to read this. Sitting in a building that is warmed and lighted up by using electricity.

My conclusion is that that there are things we don’t seem to notice in our lives, very important things. When we think of electricity as electric energy that powers things around us, but it is much more. Our whole society is based on electricity, we can say that it is a drug of humanity, something we can’t live and imagine life without. Electricity made our lives safer and easier by powering up lights at night and our phones which we use to communicate and call for help under an emergency. So, as you can see, electricity plays a very important role and we just can’t live without, unless we will find another energy source.

1. https://www.tvakids.com/electricity/history.htm