Written By John Bradley
Static electricity was discovered in 600 B.C. by a Greek man by the name of Thales, who learned that when he rubbed a piece of amber with silk, it became electrically charged.
The English word “electricity” originates from the Greek word “elektron,” which translates to “amber.”
A single spark of static electricity can measure as high as 3,000 volts.
Ancient Egyptians also knew that electric fish and lightning were powerful and potentially deadly. These fish were called the “Thunderers of the Nile.”
The English word “volt” comes from the name Alessandro Volta, who first invented the electric battery in 1799. Alessandro Volta was so revered that Napoleon Bonaparte became his laboratory assistant. Volta’s battery was called the “voltaic pile,” which was a stack of metal discs immersed in a brine solution, which created electricity by way of chemical reaction.
Electricity travels almost at the speed of light, at around 270,000 km/s. This is equivalent to 670,616,629 mph.
Lightning is pure electricity being discharged into the atmosphere. A lightning strike can produce as much energy in 10 seconds as 500 tons of detonated dynamite. Just one lightning bolt can generate up to 3 million volts of electricity in just 1 second, travelling at 130,000mph at 54,000° Fahrenheit.
Contrary to popular belief, Benjamin Franklin did not discover electricity. He only demonstrated that lightning and electricity were related. To fund his research, Benjamin Franklin had to sell all of his material possessions. Franklin’s kite was likely not hit by lightning, otherwise he would have died instantly. Scholars believe the kite attracted electrical charges from the stormy air.
Electrical currents flow as either a direct current or an alternating current. In direct currents, electrons flow in one direction. In alternating currents, the electrons switch directions, moving forward and then backwards over and over again.
Thomas Edison invented the DC current while Nikola Tesla invented the AC current. DC was primarily used in the early days of electricity. AC offered more benefits and the ability to move power across long distances.
