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The Physics behind the Current War: Edison, Tesla, & Westinghouse (AC vs. DC)
In the late 1800s there was a battle between different types of electricity, alternating and direct, that was called the war of the currents, (now a major motion picture starting my boyfriend Benedict Cumberbatch). There are thousands of videos about this conflict but this is the first, as far as I know, that covers the…
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How Thomas Edison Created a Light Bulb Empire
How did Thomas Edison go from poverty to creating an electric empire as well as the first research institute? Well, I’ll tell you and along the way I’ll talk about relentless drive, a strange philosophy on sleep, the invention of the phonograph, telegraph humor, lighting beards on fire, and a long-legged generator. Table of Contents…
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Why Alexander Graham Bell Invented the Telephone
Alexander (Alec) Graham Bell invented and promoted the telephone due to the love of, and influence of, a deaf woman named Mabel Hubbard. Wait, why would a deaf woman influence the invention of the telephone, an object she could never use? Well, I’ll tell you this surprising love story and along the way I will…
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How does a Generator Work & How We Figured it Out
Most of our electricity comes from power plants that use a generator to, ahem, generate the electricity. OK, then, how does a generator work? And how did anyone figure it out in the first place? It’s time to get spinning. Table of Contents How Faraday’s AC Worked The Commutator and Its Use How an Electromagnet…
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How Faraday Made Electricity with Magnets: Discovery of Induction, the Generator, & Magnetic Fields
How did Michael Faraday make electricity with magnets? Hey, how does anyone make electricity with magnets? And what does that have to do with the creation of the idea of magnetic fields? Watch this short video and find out. Ready? Let’s go. In 1826, an English scientist named Michael Faraday had read that another Englishman…
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How Michael Faraday Discovered Induction, The Generator, and Magnetic Fields
How did Michael Faraday make electricity with magnets? Hey, how does anyone make electricity with magnets? And what does that have to do with the creation of the idea of magnetic fields? Watch this short video and find out. Table of Contents Faraday’s Experiment: The Start Faraday with Electro-Magnetism Making of Electric Generator Faraday’s Experiment:…
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How a Real Life Dr. Frankenstein Inspired Mary Shelly & Birthed Electrobiology
Was there a real Dr. Frankenstein? Yes, there was, his name was Giovanni Aldini and he actually managed to make corpses move with electricity! However, the gruesome nature of his experiments obscured the fact that he was an amazing scientist who revolutionized biology and medicine all in the name of familial love! Ready for both…
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History of the Telegraph: How Samuel Morse Stole It & Became Famous
A scientist named Joseph Henry and a machinist/inventor named Alfred Vail invented the telegraph that transformed the world. Samuel Morse put their ideas together and gained the fame and the profit. Morse didn’t do it for money, however. His inspirations were a strange brew of ego, tragedy and xenophobia. How could ego, tragedy and xenophobia…
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How a Jar of Water Literally Shocked Thousands: How a Leyden Jar Works
Wait? How did a jar of water shock anyone? And why? Well, I’ll tell you and along the way I will talk about: shocking people for the kings pleasure, breaking the rules and masochistic adrenalin junkies with some really difficult names to pronounce. Ready, lets go. This story began on October 11, 1745. On that…
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Who Invented the Telegraph? Joseph Henry, A Bored Math Teacher!
Why would a math teacher named Joseph Henry invent the telegraph? And didn’t Samuel Morse invent the telegraph? Well, I’ll tell you and along the way I will talk about a transformative book, the importance of insulating wire, dropping thousands of pounds of weights for fun, the first doorbell, a black assistant named Sam Parker…