Science & technology

Birth of André-Marie Ampère

20 January 1775

André-Marie Ampère was born on 20 January 1775 in Lyon. A French physicist and mathematician, Ampere is regarded as one of the founders of electromagnetism, which he called electrodynamics. After learning of Oersted's discovery that an electric current deflects a magnetic needle, he showed within weeks that parallel wires carrying current attract or repel each other, and he formulated the mathematical law that describes magnetic force from currents. He also proposed that magnetism arises from tiny circulating currents. The SI unit of electric current, the ampere, is named in his honor.

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This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 18th century.