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Chapter 1: 600 B.C. - 1799
Exploring the Mysteries of Sound, Electricity, and Magnetism
By Roy Johnson, loudspeaker designer, and Janet Lynn, Green Mountain Audio, Inc.
600 B.C.
Thales of Miletus writes of a form of electricity known to the Ancient Greeks, who found that rubbing fur on various substances, such as amber, would cause a particular attraction between the two.
550 B.C.
Pythagoras (left), a Greek mathematician, mystic, and scientist, divides strings into different lengths and creates a system of notes and scales which will become the basis of our musical system. An important part of his work with sound was his discovery of the octave, an equal but different tone pitch that is created by touching a string in the middle. The Wave Theory of Sound >
1269.
French scholar and soldier Pierre Pelerian de Maricourt (Petrus Peregrinus), writes "Epistola de Magnete," the earliest known descriptions and discussions of the designs of magnets and magnetic compasses. Read his letter >
1600.
William Gilbert, a British physician and physicist known for investigations into magnetism and electricity, forwards Pereginus' work. Gilbert's "De Magnete" is published and sets new standards related to electrical and magnetic phenomena. He invents the term, 'electricus' and will become known as the "Father of Electricity."
1660.
German scientist, inventor, and politician Otto von Guericke makes the first electrostatic generator with a ball of sulphur and some cloth. The contraption enables scientists to study electric shocks and sparks at will.
1675.
Irish physicist, chemist, and inventor Robert Boyle (right) states, "Electrostatic attraction and repulsion can cross a vacuum." It is the first time positive and negative electricity are identified.
1729.
British amateur scientist Stephen Gray classifies materials as conductors or insulators. He is the first one to show that static electricity can be transferred with conducting wire and the electric charge on objects resides on their surfaces.
1745.
Pieter (Petrus) van Musschenbroek, a Dutch physicist and professor at Leiden University, invents a simple capacitor, known as the "Leyden Jar." It stores the energy produced by an electrostatic generator.
1746.
Benjamin Franklin identifies positive and negative electricity while experimenting with a Leyden Jar. Sir William Watson discovers that a discharge of static electricity is equivalent to an electrical current during experiments with the device.
1791.
After years of studying electricity in animals, Italian physicist and physician Luigi Galvani (right) publishes "Commentary" on animal electricity and muscle movement.
1799.
Inspired by Galvani's theory of animal electricity, fellow countryman and physicist Alessandro Volta works to dispute it and invents the battery in the process. It provides the first source of continuous electricity using a stack of metal disks separated by layers of cardboard that had been soaked in saltwater. First called a "Voltaic pile," the term "Volt" will become known as the unit of electrical pressure.
Speaker History Overview - Chapter 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5
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