Science History Timeline

Front

William Gilbert coins the term "electricity."

Back

1600

Front

Isaac Newton publishes the Principia, describing his three laws of motion and the law of gravity.

Back

1687

Front

Francis Hauksbee creates the first electric light.

Back

1705

Front

The Leyden jar, a device to store electric charge, is independently invented by Pieter van Musschenbroek and Ewald Georg von Kleist.

Back

c. 1745–1746

Front

Benjamin Franklin's experiments show that electric charge is passed between objects rather than created.

Back

1751

Front

Benjamin Franklin conducts his famous kite experiment, demonstrating that lightning is electrical.

Back

1752

Front

Luigi and Lucia Galvani discover that charged metals can electrify dead frogs, leading to the term "Galvanism."

Back

1780s

Front

Charles Coulomb measures the electric force, revealing its inverse square law nature.

Back

1785

Front

Alessandro Volta creates the first battery, or Galvanic pile.

Back

1800

Front

Humphrey Davy invents the arc lamp, enabling the first widespread use of electric lighting.

Back

c. 1802–1809