Early Studies in Electricity
Experiments with electricity and magnetism were first conducted in ancient times. However, the founder of the modern science of electricity was William Gilbert, a 17th century English physician. Gilbert was the first to introduce the term electricity to describe the phenomenon.

The first electric generator was built in 1663 by Otto von Guericke, a German engineer. The machine was a spinning sulfur globe mounted on an iron shaft that created electricity through friction. In 1729, British chemist Stephen Gray first demonstrated that electricity flows and that some materials conduct it, while others do not.

In 1745, Pieter van Musschenbroek, a Dutch physicist, developed the first device that could store an electric charge. Known as the Leyden jar, it consisted of a glass vial which was partially filled with water. The vial also contained a thick conducting wire. One end of the wire protruded through the cork that sealed the vial. The jar was charged by bringing the exposed end of the wire into contact with a device that generated static electricity. The Leydan jar revolutionized the study of electricity. It was used in experiments throughout Europe that included killing birds and animals with an electric shock, and sending an electric charge across a river or lake through wires.

Benjamin Franklin's Contributions
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was one of America's founding fathers; a successful writer, businessman, inventor, and statesman. Born in Boston, he later moved to Philadelphia and made his fortune as a printer and publisher. In his early forties, he sold many of his business enterprises so he could focus on his scientific experiments and inventions. He later became a leading advocate for colonial rights, ambassador to France during the American Revolution, and a member of the Constitutional Convention in 1787.

Franklin's interest in electricity began after witnessing a demonstration of its effects in 1743. His experiments ultimately led to a substantial amount of progress in the study of electricity and its practical application. Until that time, electricity experiments were confined to static electricity and scientists assumed that electric charge was created by friction. Through a series of experiments, Franklin concluded that all matter contains electricity and that rubbing two objects together merely transfers electric charge from one to the other. To describe this phenomenon (known as conservation of charge) he coined the terms positive and negative charge, which are still used today. Franklin also built and named the first electric battery. The device consisted of 11 panes of glass flanked by metal plates, which were lined up and connected by wires.

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(Image provided by Library of Congress.)

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