Hidden Gems in Black History: The First Man to Study Static Electricity Was Black

When was the last time you stopped to consider who created electricity? This familiar but extraordinary energy has existed on our planet since the beginning of time. Electricity is the “fuel” that powers the majority of modern technology. Without power, many things just won’t work. Nowadays, many people will have difficulty surviving without power since the world has become so reliant on it. Several accounts, while investigating who exactly invented electricity, ascribe the discovery of electricity to the Greek scholar Thales of Miletus. Who is Thales of Miletus? The first to study static electricity. Around 600 BC, the Greek philosopher Thales of Miletus made history by becoming the first person to notice static electricity. He found that amber could attract feathers and other light things when brushed with fur—what we now call static electricity. Thales of Miletus knew, some two millennia ago, that rubbing an amber stone would cause it to collect microscopic particles of matter. This one experimental finding laid the groundwork for the whole field of electrostatics, which studies the characteristics of static electricity. Truly, the entire definition of electricity comes from the Greek word for amber, η’λεκτροv. There has been a tremendous amount of experimental understanding of...