Pioneering scientists

André-Marie Ampère

André-Marie Ampère was a French physicist and mathematician known as the father of electromagnetism. By the age of 12, Ampère had taught himself advanced mathematics. As an adult, he became a teacher of mathematics, physics, philosophy and astronomy. He developed theories to explain the interactions between electricity and magnetism.

Well before electrons were discovered and named in the late nineteenth century, Ampère was the first to explore the existence of an electrodynamic molecule. The ampere, or amp, is named after him.

Alessandro Volta

Alessandro Volta was an Italian physicist and chemist who invented the voltaic pile, known today as a battery, in 1799. This invention helped to disprove the belief that electricity could come only from living things. It also enabled scientists to do further experiments in the field of electrochemistry. The SI unit measure of electric potential, the volt, is named after Volta.

Georg Simon Ohm

Georg Simon Ohm was a German physicist and mathematician that studied Volta’s electrochemical cell. He discovered the relationship between the voltage applied across a conductor, and the strength of the current flowing through the conductor. Another scientist, Henry Cavendish, discovered the same relationship many years before Ohm, but his experiments went unpublished until after he died in 1810.

Ohm published his findings, known today as Ohm’s Law.

Joseph Henry

Joseph Henry was an American scientist and inventor who discovered the principle of self-induction and improved the design of electromagnets. He created one of the first machines to use electromagnetism for motion, the modern DC motor’s earliest ancestor. Although it did not make use of rotating motion as most DC motors do, it showcased an electromagnet that sat on a pole, rocking back and forth, changing polarity as it rocked.

Henry also discovered mutual inductance independently of Michael Faraday, though Faraday was the first to make the discovery and publish his results. Henry’s work in the 1820s and 1830s contributed to the development of electric relays, the telegraph, the DC motor and the electric doorbell. The SI unit of inductance, the henry, is named after him.

James Prescott Joule

James Prescott Joule was an English physicist that started his career as a brewery manager. Initially, science was merely a hobby for him. At some point, he started to investigate the feasibility of replacing the brewery’s steam engines with the newly invented electric motor and his passion for the subject was born.

Joule discovered the relationship between heat and mechanical energy that led to the law of conservation of energy. He also discovered a connection between the heat dissipated by a resistor and the current flowing through the resistor. The SI unit of energy bears his name, the joule.

William Thomson (Lord Kelvin)

British mathematician William Thomson, better known as Lord Kelvin, is credited for advancements in electricity and thermodynamics, including the creation of the the Kelvin scale of absolute zero.

Lord Kelvin was initially a supporter of the DC power distribution system, but his mind was changed upon witnessing the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893. After that, he pushed for Westinghouse and Tesla to be awarded the hydroelectric contract at Niagara Falls.

Lucien Gaulard & John Dixon Gibbs

French inventor Lucien Gaulard and British engineer John Gibbs introduced the first effective device for long-distance transmission of AC energy. Their invention varied two fundamental factors: voltage and current. This device would later become known as transformers.

Although transformers were not new a idea, the Gaulard-Gibbs design was one of the first that could handle large amounts of power and could be easily manufactured, making it perfect for AC energy use. When the pair demonstrated their power transformer in London, it immediately attracted the interest of George Westinghouse who purchased the patents for it shortly after.