There are many names that are important in the history of electricity but some are more famous than others. The most famous people involved in the discovery and usage of electricity range from household names to names better known by students who read about electricity in a textbook. Here are the 5 most famous contributors to electricity in history.
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin is credited with the actual discovery of electricity. It was he who was conducting a number of experiments with a kite in 1752 that led to his realization that lightning and electricity are the same thing. His use of a lightning rod to harness the power of the form of electricity known as lightning was simply astounding. Although he is credited with the total discovery of electricity because the kite story it so memorable, the truth is that he was the first of many who shed light on the phenomenon known as electricity.
Alessandro Volta
Alessandro Volta was the Italian scientist who in 1800 made the first electric cell. He did so through soaking paper in salt water and then putting copper and zinc at either end of the paper. The ensuing chemical reaction generated an electric current that Volta recognized and built upon. He put a number of these cells together and was able to make the first battery.
Michael Faraday
Michael Faraday managed to produce electricity using a different method, a method that would change the world forever. He generated electricity using a magnet and copper wire. He discovered that as he passed the magnet through the copper wire electricity was created. His was a monumental discovery because it eventually led to the very same technology of magnets used in conjunction with copper wires to be used in power plants. This is how most of the electricity used today is produced.
Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison may be well known for the light bulb, which was certainly an important usage of electricity, but he is less known for his contributions to helping get electricity out to peoples’ homes. After all, once he had the lights he had to help people to power these lights somehow. He created the first power plant. Its power reached about one square mile around the power plant using direct current and it could light about 5,000 lamps within this area.
George Westinghouse
George Westinghouse took the power plant idea a step farther and created the first major facility of its kind. It was located at Niagara Falls and utilized alternating current. Because of this, it was able to send energy much farther than Edison’s power plant. In fact, it was able to send the electricity it produced over 200 miles away.
These are the 5 most famous contributors to electricity in history. The history of electricity is not just about its discovery but about its move from a flash in the sky to its widespread use as a power source. Each of these contributors built on the work of those who came before to make electricity and its usage what it is today.
Thomas Rhein writes on ways to apply for admission to schools in order to earn a Master of Electrical Engineering.


You can advance the attending of any breadth by application atramentous chaplet lighting fixtures. The change able with these accessories can be slight or extreme, depending on the amount you adjudge to pay. The ablaze accustomed off of these accessories is absolutely neutral, which makes them absolute for about any space. This blazon of lighting will accomplish a admirable best if selecting lighting for your home or office.