No photograph is shown for this exhibition. The museum displays an image only where it can show the object honestly.
About this date
Ewald Georg von Kleist in Pomerania discovered the effect in October 1745, and Pieter van Musschenbroek at Leiden independently in January 1746.
About credit
Both discoveries are documented independently, so priority is shared. The device took its name from Leiden.
Chapter II
The world before
Life before the Leyden Jar
Static electricity could be generated by rubbing but escaped in moments and could not be stored.
II
The human achievement
How it came about
Experimenters found that a jar of water with a wire, held in the hand and charged from a machine, gave a powerful shock. Later versions used metal foil. Benjamin Franklin studied the jar and developed ideas of positive and negative charge.
III
Understanding the invention
How it works
The Leyden Jar, explained in two steps.
01
Step 01 of 02
Two conductors, one insulator
The glass separates inner and outer metal layers, letting opposite charges build up on each side.
Two conductors, one insulator
Discharge
IV
The transformation
What changed for humanity
Science
Electric experiments became repeatable.
Public spectacle
Demonstrations drew audiences across Europe.
It was the first way to store electric charge, which opened the door to experiments on electricity and, eventually, capacitors and batteries.
V
Before and after
Life before and after The Leyden Jar
Before
It leaked away immediately.
After
A jar kept it for minutes or hours.
On larger screens, drag the divider (or use the arrow keys) to give more room to the world before or after.
