Bottled Lightning

A Shocking History

The Greek philosopher, Thales of Miletus, discovered electricity in 600 BC, when he noticed that rubbing amber with a cloth magnetically attracted feathers. Amber, or “electron” in Greek, showed the same magnetic properties as ion-laden stones containing iron. After Thales’ work, no one showed much interest in magnetism for 2,000 years, until British physician William Gilbert noted that friction could electrify objects. Gilbert’s main contribution was coining the word “electricity.”

In the 1740s, inventors in Leyden, Belgium, devised the use of metal-lined jars filled with water to hold an electric charge. The jars, which served as capacitors, could release the charge only in a single burst. In 1800, Alessandro Volta, a professor at the University of Pavia in Italy, created the world’s first battery when he used alternating plates of copper and zinc separated by saline-saturated cardboard to produce an electric charge.

The discovery created a sensation as “electricians” – then meaning people who experimented with electricity – went on to build bigger batteries. In 1820, Danish scientists noted the connection between electricity and magnetism...