Early Applications of Electricity Early Applications of
Electricity - Page created by SHH, 9 September 2008 -
Contributors: SHH x3, Nbrewer x10, Nmolnar x1, Administrator1
x4, Rnarayan x5 - Last modified by Administrator1, 11 January
2012 Making Electricity Work: Putting Theory into Practice When
people realized what electricity and magnetism were they took
the first steps towards putting them to work. The very first
machines hardly seem useful compared to the stuff we use today,
but 200 years ago, when the industrial revolution was getting
under way in Europe, they were major breakthroughs. In the 19th
century inventors began looking for ways to use electromagnetism
to run machines, which was being done at that time by steam
engines, water wheels, horses, or even people. One of the first
to think about using electricity for practical purposes was the
American Joseph Henry. In 1829 he used a large battery to build
a powerful electromagnet. It was not just a scientific
instrument—it could do heavy work, such a