In the spring of 1820, while demonstrating an electric circuit to students in Copenhagen, the Danish physicist Hans Christian Oersted noticed that the needle of a compass moved when the current was switched on. He had found the first link between electricity and magnetism. His discovery, published in July 1820, was followed within weeks by Andre-Marie Ampere's analysis of the forces between currents, and in 1831 by Michael Faraday's discovery of electromagnetic induction. The path led to electric motors and generators and, with James Clerk Maxwell, to the theory of electromagnetism and radio.
Before and after
- 19 November 1819Construction of Museo del Prado
- 22 November 1819Birth of George Eliot
- 1820Founding of Indiana University Bloomington
- 1820Missouri Compromise
- 1820Oersted discovers electromagnetism
- 14 March 1820Birth of Victor Emmanuel II of Italy
- 27 April 1820Birth of Herbert Spencer
- 12 May 1820Birth of Florence Nightingale
- 28 November 1820Birth of Friedrich Engels
More in Science & technology
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.