In 1820, a Danish physicist saw a compass twitch near a wire and changed science forever
TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Jun 03, 2026, 16:55 (IST)
In 1820, Hans Christian Ørsted serendipitously discovered the link between electricity and magnetism during a classroom demonstration. He observed a compass needle deflecting when an electric current flowed through a nearby wire, a finding that revolutionized physics. This seemingly simple observation, made under ordinary conditions, laid the groundwork for the entire field of electromagnetism.