Oersted links electricity and magnetism (1820) : an accidental breakthroughPortrait of Oersted



The Danish physicist Hans Christian Oersted, noticed something that was to have astounding long term consequences. Oersted accidentally placed a magnetic compass next to an electrical wire. He noticed that whenever current flowed through the circuit, the compass needle swung to point directly at right angles to the line of the wire. Thus Oersted accidentally discovered the direct link between electricity and magnetism. This meant that 'pulsing' an electric current through the circuit could be used to make things happen at the other end of the circuit - the basic principle of the electric telegraph. It was left to the Frenchman Andre Ampere to explain precisely why this happened.



Source: http://www.connected-earth.com/Galleries/Telecommunicationsa...