Be Electrific Day

Be Electrific Day is February 11th

This holiday honors the birthday of Thomas Edison! It was started by professional speaker Carolyn Finch in 1998. She created this day to encourage people not only to explore the electricity in the world around us but to explore the electricity in our own bodies. Electricity is an important part of our body's function. Electric energy powers our brains and sends signals throughout our bodies through the nervous system. 

Who is Thomas Edison

Thomas Edison was born February 11, 1847 and is considered one of America’s greatest inventors. He developed many inventions that we still use to this day. His inventions including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and most importantly; the lightbulb. These creations have had a widespread impact on the industrial world and the everyday life of many people. He was the first inventor of his time to combine many different principles of different disciplines to create new inventions. He applied the principles of organized science to the method of research and in doing so had the first team of researchers working to improve the lives of many. He was the first to establish an industrial research laboratory. 

In his early career, Edison was a telegraph operator, which inspired him to create many of his early inventions. In 1876 he established his first lab in New Jersey where many of his inventions were developed. He also had an interest in other fields. He later created a botanical laboratory in Florida with other businessmen. He also was interested in movies and had a laboratory that featured the first film studio. He was one of the best inventors of the time and had over 1,000 US patents in his name as well as patents in other countries. 

The Electricity Inside Us

Electricity is needed for the human body to function. Even our cells are created to conduct their own electrical currents. Our nervous system uses electrical currents to send signals throughout the body. This allows us to move, think, and feel. As we all hopefully know, everything is made up of atoms. These atoms are made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons. Protons have a positive charge, neutrons have a neutral charge and electrons have a negative charge. When these charges are unequal it causes the atom to become either positively or negatively charged. The change of charge allows electrons to flow from one atom to another. This flow of electrons is called electricity. Our bodies contain huge masses of atoms causing us to generate electricity. This electricity is the key to our survival. Electricity is fast and allows for a nearly instant response for controlling our bodies. If our bodies relied only on the movement of chemicals we would not be able to survive due to their slower response time. An example of an important bodily function that relies on electrical signals is our pulse. Most of our heart’s functions rely on these electrical signals to regulate its function and to keep us alive.

How to Celebrate Be Electrific Day

In order to celebrate this very important holiday one can learn about Thomas Edison and his contributions. One can also learn about the electricity inside of us. For a more fun route one can rub balloons on their head to watch their hair stand up straight or drag socked feet on the carpet to see electricity in action.