The History of Electricity

Electricity has been an integral part of human history for thousands of years. Cave drawings from thousands of year ago depict lightning and other forms of static electricity. Ancient Greek philosophers such as Thales and Anaximander developed theories about
electricity, and the ancient Greeks and Romans used electric shocks for medicinal purposes.

In the 1700s, scientists such as Benjamin Franklin and Joseph Priestley began to experiment with electricity using primitive wiring and components. Through their experiments, electricity began to be better understood, and the first battery was invented by Alessandro
Volta in 1800.

In the 1800s, the first electric generators and motors were constructed, and the first practical use of electricity was to power arc lamps for street lighting in London in 1809. The first practical electric generator was developed in 1831 by Michael Faraday,
and by 1882, the first commercial hydroelectric power plant was built in Appleton, Wisconsin.

The 1900s saw the invention of electronics, the development of electrical engineering, and the electrification of everyday life. Thomas Edison is credited with inventing the light bulb in 1879 and the first commercial power plant in 1882, which sparked the
modern electrical grid that we use today.

Advances in technology and electrical engineering have allowed electricity to be used for numerous applications, from communications and entertainment to industrial processes. Though electricity has been used for centuries, the development of electricity and
its applications are still ongoing.