Most kinds of mechanical movement in appliances are driven by electric motors—fans, fridges, and even computers are all powered in this way. In 1873 Frenchman Theophile-Zenobe Gramme (1826-1901) was the first to show that electricity could be used to move things efficiently. Semiliterate, and with only a grasp of simple arithmetic, he was not a typical inventor. However, his manual skill and logical thinking led to one of the most important applications of electricity.
A carpenter by trade, Gramme was appalled by the dirt produced by newly invented electric batteries and decided to concentrate his efforts on improving their design. It had not been long since Michael Faraday in Britain and Joseph Henry in the United States had created dynamos, which converted energy from movement into electricity. These are the devices that convert leg power to light in bicycle lamps and wind power into electricity. Gramme worked hard and greatly improved the original dynamo design. He opened his own dynamo- producing factory and buyers initially used his devices for electroplating and lighting.
Motors work in the opposite way to dynamos; they take electrical energy and turn it into something that can make things move. When showing off his improved dynamo design, Gramme connected a dynamo giving out electricity to a reversed device, which then turned the energy back into mechanical energy—demonstrating that it was possible to convert electricity into movement. This was the basis of the DC (direct current) motor. As electricity production became more efficient, the electric motor became an essential component in the development of most household appliances with moving parts—from washing machines to fans and blenders.
