In the present day, electricity and its applications form the cornerstone of our daily lives. If the electricity supply were suspended even for a day, tasks that once felt easy would become hard labour. Even a single day without electricity could disrupt communication, transportation, healthcare and daily life. This would cause widespread chaos, economic losses, and put countless lives at risk. Electricity is so ubiquitous in our lives that we hardly ever think about its origins. Yet its history traces back thousands of years.
The first recorded account of electricity was made around 600 BC when the Greek philosopher Thales of Miletus discovered that rubbing amber with fur caused it to attract small objects. This simple experiment was the beginning of humanity’s voyage to understand the unfamiliar force that we now call electricity.
For several centuries, electricity fascinated scholars and philosophers. People noticed sparks and lightning but knew very little about their formation and effects. A breakthrough came in 1600 when the English scientist William Gilbert published his book De Magnete. He first used the word electricus, meaning formed from amber. He distinguished electrical effects from magnetism. His work encouraged other scientists to study electricity with a strong framework.
The eighteenth century paved the way for many significant developments in electrical discoveries. One of the most prominent experiments was carried out in 1752 by Benjamin Franklin. He flew a kite with a metal key tied to the string during a thunderstorm to prove that lightning is a form of electricity. When lightning struck the kite, the key became charged instantly. Benjamin Franklin proved that lightning is a form of electricity. Around the same period, scientists created the first device that could store electric charges, called the Leyden jar. It allowed researchers to collect electricity and study it more efficiently.
At the end of the eighteenth century, Italian scientist Luigi Galvani made groundbreaking discoveries by linking electricity and muscle activities, laying the foundation for bioelectricity. He observed that the legs of a frog twitched when touched with metal instruments during electrical experiments. Galvani believed that this came from electricity inside the animal. This idea was challenged by Alessandro Volta, who said that electricity came from metals themselves. To support his claim, Volta invented the first chemical battery in 1800. His invention generated a continuous flow of electric current and laid the foundation of practical electricity.
Soon after, inventors began creating devices for the practical use of electric current. The nineteenth century paved the way for rapid progress. Michael Faraday discovered the principles of electromagnetic induction that led to generating electricity on a large scale. Thomas Edison invented a long-lasting electric light bulb, while Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse developed systems that could allow electricity to move long distances. Their work allowed electricity to move from scientific laboratories to homes, streets and factories.