Where it all began

Around 500 BC, Greeks found that rubbing an 'electron' (a hard, fossilised piece of resin, today known as 'amber'), against a cloth or fur would cause it to attract particles of straw. This strange effect remained a mystery for about 2000 years, until around 1600 AD when Dr William Gilbert investigated the reactions of amber and magnets. Gilbert first recorded the word 'electricity' in a report on the theory of magnetism.