Did everyone have electricity when it was first invented?
Yes and no – depending on what you mean by “electricity.” As a general term for the natural phenomena of flowing electrical current, electricity itself was not so much invented as it was discovered . In that sense, electricity has existed since long before humans. In fact, we each carry our own electrical current – it’s what makes our brains work – as do many other living things. So, in that case, yes, everyone has always had electricity . Now in the case of generated electricity – the sort of current that arrives at your house or business and allows you to power anything you can plug in – then, no, not everyone had generated electricity when it was first invented . Practical electric motors, batteries, and power generating & distributing methods were developed starting in the early 1800s. As they became more reliable and affordable, the people at large adopted them on a wider scale. However, even in today’s seemingly infinitely wired world, there are still many who live without electric power as part of their daily lives. As of 2009, an estimated 25% of the world was still without electric power – with most of those people living in underdeveloped areas of Africa and Northwest Asia.