Electrifying Discoveries: Top 13 Fun Facts About Electrical Engineering That'll Spark Your Curiosity

1. Tesla's Nightlife Revolution

Before Nikola Tesla entered the chat, nightlife was, quite literally, a dim affair: Nikola Tesla, an electrical engineering trailblazer, conjured up a phosphorescent lamp that continued to emit light even after the power was cut, and dazzled onlookers with wirelessly illuminated phosphorescent tubes in his lab, paving the way for our modern, well-lit world.
Source => pbs.org

2. Genius in a Pickle Jar

In a shocking turn of events, early electrical engineers tested their mettle on a humble pickle jar: The Leyden jar, the first capacitor, which was actually a glass jar with metal foil cemented to its inside and outside surfaces. Invented in the 18th century, it was used for early experiments in electricity and its discovery played a critical role in the study of electrostatics, proving that sometimes, genius is preserved in strange containers.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

Did you know Hephaestus, the Greek god of blacksmithing, created some of the earliest humanoid robots? Discover more ancient automaton origins!

=> Fun Facts about Mechanical-Engineering

3. Quantum Gossip Stopper

Say goodbye to shady telephone gossip: device-independent quantum key distribution is a cutting-edge method of sharing secrets, proven to be immune to eavesdropping, and delights in the magic of quantum entanglement. This cheeky innovation ensures secure quantum communication without demanding trust in perfectly flawless gadgets, building on the Bell test's tango with entangled particles that demonstrate quantum mechanics' nonlocality. It may not spill the tea on a practical level just yet, but it's a charming concept for secure chit-chat across vast distances without relying on impeccable devices.
Source => sciencenews.org

4. Volta's Untethered Invention

If Volta had charged his phone like many do with their lives, he'd have been tethered forever: Surprisingly so, it all started in 1800 when Alessandro Volta invented the first battery, allowing us to store and convert chemical energy into electrical energy using an electrochemical reaction between two metals and an electrolyte, powering our not-so-tethered portable electronic devices ever since.
Source => scientificamerican.com

5. Cotton Candy Internet

Who knew Fiber Optic cables were concocted like a delicious, rainbow-colored cotton candy?: In 1970, Corning scientists discovered a method to produce pure silica glass, which now travels internationally via undersea cables and even gets us gig-speed internet at home! The glass particles are twirled around with flame jets, akin to creating cotton candy, and then stretched into ultra-thin, color-coded strands that can handle the party tricks of bending without breaking.
Source => popsci.com

6. America's Illuminated Debut

Dim the (gas)lights and roll out the red carpet for the electrifying star of 1879: The first public demonstration of outdoor electrical street lighting in the US illuminated Cleveland's Public Square on April 29, courtesy of inventor Charles F. Brush's dynamo arc light. Strutting its 4,000-candlepower glow, this "en-lit"-ened invention revolutionized street lighting and paved the way for incandescent and LED lamps to shine on!
Source => en.wikipedia.org

7. Morse: Artist to Dots & Dashes

Before emojis and LOLs, there was a man who painted his way into history, only to ditch the brush for a series of dots and dashes: Samuel Morse, primarily an artist, revolutionized communication by inventing the electric telegraph and creating Morse code, laying the groundwork for modern communication methods.
Source => englishclub.com

8. Real-Life Magical Transportation

Who needs wheels when you can levitate? Hogwarts might be fictional, but magical transportation is real: Maglev transportation systems using magnetic levitation technology are currently up and running in South Korea, Japan, and China, boasting speeds of up to 431kmph (267mph) and operating costs around 70% less than traditional train systems. Muggles everywhere, rejoice!
Source => science.howstuffworks.com

9. Tide-Controlled Engineers

Despite popular belief that electrical engineers moonlight as astrologers with magical abilities to control the tides, they're sadly just as bound by the laws of gravity as the rest of us mere mortals: Tidal energy production relies entirely on the natural ebb and flow of the tides, governed by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun on our earthly oceans, making it a renewable and dependable source of electricity.
Source => perchenergy.com

10. Organ-Powered Electric Devices

Move over, Energizer Bunny: electrical engineering buffs are giving organs a run for their money! These smarty-pants are working on teeny-tiny implantable medical devices, powered wirelessly and ever-adapting to our body's needs: Not only do these gadgets have the potential to prevent heart attacks and heart failure, but they'll also let us better understand the secret life of our innards by enabling signaling between different organs.
Source => psu.edu

11. Edison's Home Sparkle

Who needs candles when you've got bulbs? In a world before Tinder, Thomas Edison lit up hearts and homes with a different kind of sparkle: On January 27, 1880, Edison patented his game-changing "electric-lamp", featuring a reliable and safe carbon filament that outshone its competition. His invention revolutionized the way people lived, transforming the United States into an industrial powerhouse, all with the flick of a switch.
Source => archives.gov

12. Electric Guitar's Amped-up History

Strumming through history while turning the volume up to 11: The first electric guitar prototype dates back to the late 1920s, with George Beauchamp and Adolph Rickenbacker joining forces to rock our world in 1931 with the creation of the Rickenbacker "Frying Pan" — an innovation that sparked waves of jazz and rock musicians to plug in and play.
Source => fuelrocks.com

13. Eel Power to the Rescue

Who needs batteries when you've got eel power? In an electrifying fusion of science and nature, researchers are making strides towards turning action-packed creature features into a shocking reality: At the University of Michigan, scientists have engineered an artificial electric organ, inspired by the electric eel, that can generate up to 110 volts of electrical potential using hydrogel membranes filled with dissolved table salt. While not quite rivalling the eel's zap-tastic 600 volts, this bio-inspired invention could eventually energize low-power medical devices - and all without a single plug point in sight!
Source => thepipettepen.com