Electricity has been an enigma to many for years, taken for granted, and sometimes scary. While the existence of such a powerful force may seem confusing, yet necessary and still dangerous to us today, imagine what it must have seemed like to those who were discovering it in the early 1600’s. The average electrical contractor comes into contact with individuals who either take electricity for granted or don’t respect the fast damage it can cause. Here are a couple of tidbits of information you probably didn’t know about electricity.
Thomas Edison did not invent the light bulb.
Thomas Edison was about 50 years too late to be credited with the invention of light bulb itself. Bulbs, and the electrical lighting of them, had been in use for about that long. While he was working on his own theories, a British inventor known as Joseph Swan beat him to the punch in that regard as well – by a single year. It is believed that Edison took Swan’s rough designs, which were published in a science journal, and attempted to improve upon them. At the end of the day, Swan sued Edison for copyright infringement, won the patent, and ended up being named a partner in Edison’s company.
Why does electricity shock the body?
Electricity is electricity, so why does it cause that incredibly uncomfortable shock when we come into contact with it? Your body has its own electrical system which is controlled by your nervous system. The second problem is that water is a great conductor for electricity and – you guessed it – your body is mostly made up of water. While the average person experiences a little bit of static shock because the nerves on the surface are affected, a larger shock will be carried through the body, all the while causing major nerve interruptions, muscle twitching or even worse problems like interruptions to the heart or death.
