Spark

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Description

Starting with Francis Hauksbee's 1705 Royal Society demonstration, in which he produced static electricity and a nascent form of neon lighting, this program looks at the origins of our understanding of electricity and how it could be harnessed. The film profiles many of the scientists and "natural philosophers" who first studied electricity, including Stephen Gray, Pieter van Musschenbroek, Luigi Galvani, and several others. Viewers learn about Benjamin Franklin's kite exploit, Henry Cavendish's investigations of the electric shock produced by the torpedo fish, and the development of the electric battery following Alessandro Volta's discovery involving a copper coin and a silver spoon. The program concludes with the first breakthrough in finding a commercial use for electricity: Humphry Davy demonstrating his carbon-arc light before members of the Royal Institution.