What do you think?
Rate this book
The Lightning Tamers: True Stories of the Dreamers and Schemers Who Harnessed Electricity and Transformed Our World
You flick on a light without thinking about it. But what about the fascinating and bizarre stories hidden behind that simple action? Fortunes were made and lost, ideas stolen, rivalries pursued, dogs electrocuted, beards set on fire, arms amputated, and decapitated human heads reanimated all with the invention and evolution of electricity.
In this physics and engineering chronicle disguised as an electric time-travel adventure, Kathy Joseph, physicist, educator, and creator of the popular Kathy Loves Physics documentary channel on YouTube, shares the story of electricity through the linked breakthroughs of men and women in science.
Go on a wild journey covering over 400 years of history to discover for yourself the unlikely yet true stories of the characters who paved the way for modern electricity. From the assistant who invented the electric light 140 years before Edison to the severed ear that led to the telephone, follow the chain of experiments, inventions, and discoveries through time. Beginning with Queen Elizabeth’s bored doctor naming electricity after jewelry, the winding road that leads to you to charge your phone at night will enthrall you.
Rigorously researched, historically and scientifically accurate, and filled with quirky anecdotes, The Lightning Tamers will provide you with a greater understanding of how our electric world works. Whether you’re a history buff, a science lover, or someone who just likes to know more about the world around you, The Lightning Tamers is the entertaining read for you.
In this physics and engineering chronicle disguised as an electric time-travel adventure, Kathy Joseph, physicist, educator, and creator of the popular Kathy Loves Physics documentary channel on YouTube, shares the story of electricity through the linked breakthroughs of men and women in science.
Go on a wild journey covering over 400 years of history to discover for yourself the unlikely yet true stories of the characters who paved the way for modern electricity. From the assistant who invented the electric light 140 years before Edison to the severed ear that led to the telephone, follow the chain of experiments, inventions, and discoveries through time. Beginning with Queen Elizabeth’s bored doctor naming electricity after jewelry, the winding road that leads to you to charge your phone at night will enthrall you.
Rigorously researched, historically and scientifically accurate, and filled with quirky anecdotes, The Lightning Tamers will provide you with a greater understanding of how our electric world works. Whether you’re a history buff, a science lover, or someone who just likes to know more about the world around you, The Lightning Tamers is the entertaining read for you.
313 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 12, 2022
39 people are currently reading
680 people want to read
About the author
Kathy Joseph
1 book20 followersKathy Joseph splits her time between writing her next book, making documentary videos based on her books for her YouTube channel, and giving talks about the history of science and the importance of context for learning science.
Kathy attributes her novel’s depth and breadth partially to her YouTube channel, Kathy Loves Physics. She uses her channel to test out her ideas in documentary form and learn from her brilliant viewers, making this book an interactive experience. Despite her simple video format, Kathy has hit a nerve, and her channel has over six million views and over 98,000 subscribers. Kathy also puts all of her scripts on her website and dives into other fascinating scientific topics on her blog, spanning a broad range of topics like the history of the Nobel Prize, the birth of wireless, and the early history of quantum mechanics.
Kathy has earned four higher education degrees in physics, engineering, and science education, but she feels as if her real education came from spending 12 years as a public high school physics teacher. She is an alumnus of the University of Chicago, Penn State, and the University of Utah.
Kathy lives near San Francisco with her fabulous husband, Mike, her amazing children, Alicia and Alex, and one very cranky cat aptly named Brutus.
Learn more at www.KathyLovesPhysics.com.
Kathy attributes her novel’s depth and breadth partially to her YouTube channel, Kathy Loves Physics. She uses her channel to test out her ideas in documentary form and learn from her brilliant viewers, making this book an interactive experience. Despite her simple video format, Kathy has hit a nerve, and her channel has over six million views and over 98,000 subscribers. Kathy also puts all of her scripts on her website and dives into other fascinating scientific topics on her blog, spanning a broad range of topics like the history of the Nobel Prize, the birth of wireless, and the early history of quantum mechanics.
Kathy has earned four higher education degrees in physics, engineering, and science education, but she feels as if her real education came from spending 12 years as a public high school physics teacher. She is an alumnus of the University of Chicago, Penn State, and the University of Utah.
Kathy lives near San Francisco with her fabulous husband, Mike, her amazing children, Alicia and Alex, and one very cranky cat aptly named Brutus.
Learn more at www.KathyLovesPhysics.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
August 12, 2022
This was a super interesting book on the history of electricity. I have to admit some of the technical aspects went over my head. Despite being a scientist, electricity has always been hard for me to understand. For example, I still don’t really understand the difference between AC and DC! But, even with my shaky knowledge of the science behind electricity, I still enjoyed reading about the people involved in bringing it into our homes. I had no idea Westinghouse played such a large role and Edison was jealous of him and Tesla was a bit of a kook!
I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in electricity or an interest in the history of inventions.
I received a copy of this book for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in electricity or an interest in the history of inventions.
I received a copy of this book for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
April 19, 2023
What a fascinating account of the history of electricity, told with such lucidity! I found myself engrossed to know all the brow-raising strokes of luck that marked humanity's staggering quest to become our own Prometheus and to fetch the proverbial light from the vault of heavens. This book revitalised my interest in science and I can not be more indebted.
December 18, 2023
Such a great look at the discovery of electricity! Interesting to be walked through the years and how long things originally took to spread, but when Westinghouse and Edison started digging in, it really took off. Great read for anyone who has any interest in electricity or history in general!
October 22, 2022
Fascinating History
Are you just a bit curious as to how our electric age unfolded? How was electricity discovered? How did we go from static electricity party amusements to powerful generators transmitting electricity hundreds of miles? Who were these people with dreams and ambitions who got us to were we are today? Ms Joseph has answered these questions and more in this well written and easy to read book. Scientific and engineering discoveries are often taken for granted. Ms Joseph delves into the personal stories of the discoverers and inventors who pioneered this electrified world on which we have come to depend. She shows how interpersonal friendship, conflicts, and politics are woven together again and again in this delightful book.
If you like this book, I highly recommend you check out Ms Joseph's YouTube channel: "Kathy Loves Physics and History". With each video she brings you the stories of scientific discoveries and the people who made them happen. Look over the titles and I'm sure you will find some of interest to you.
Are you just a bit curious as to how our electric age unfolded? How was electricity discovered? How did we go from static electricity party amusements to powerful generators transmitting electricity hundreds of miles? Who were these people with dreams and ambitions who got us to were we are today? Ms Joseph has answered these questions and more in this well written and easy to read book. Scientific and engineering discoveries are often taken for granted. Ms Joseph delves into the personal stories of the discoverers and inventors who pioneered this electrified world on which we have come to depend. She shows how interpersonal friendship, conflicts, and politics are woven together again and again in this delightful book.
If you like this book, I highly recommend you check out Ms Joseph's YouTube channel: "Kathy Loves Physics and History". With each video she brings you the stories of scientific discoveries and the people who made them happen. Look over the titles and I'm sure you will find some of interest to you.
August 7, 2022
The teaser is a question. “You flick on a light without thinking about it. But what about the fascinating and bizarre stories hidden behind that simple action? Fortunes were made and lost, ideas stolen, rivalries pursued, dogs electrocuted, beards set on fire, arms amputated, and decapitated human heads reanimated all with the invention and evolution of electricity.”
The book is a timeline of various discoveries, experiments interspersed with humorous snippets, told from a lecturer’s experience and research. The stories are interestingly told and although at times they appear to be disconnected, their connection emerges at the end, as if the light has been turned on.
This book has been rigorously researched, historically and scientifically accurate, and filled with quirky anecdotes. It is full of facts which are delivered non stop, forcing one to stop reading from time to time just to absorb their story.
I received this book from the author and BookSirens and leave this honest review voluntarily.
The book is a timeline of various discoveries, experiments interspersed with humorous snippets, told from a lecturer’s experience and research. The stories are interestingly told and although at times they appear to be disconnected, their connection emerges at the end, as if the light has been turned on.
This book has been rigorously researched, historically and scientifically accurate, and filled with quirky anecdotes. It is full of facts which are delivered non stop, forcing one to stop reading from time to time just to absorb their story.
I received this book from the author and BookSirens and leave this honest review voluntarily.
August 15, 2022
The Lightning Tammers is not just a good book, it’s a great book! This not only tells the personal stories of those who bit by bit invented different parts of electricity but they also have some funny stories as well. From Huxby, Davies the Tesla and Einstein. They had so many stories I didn’t know and so many men who not only pulled their self up from poverty to be great men of science but some of them became millionaires. This is a great book I know I said that but I want to reiterate because I don’t think my summary is doing it justice. Just know if you love history unlock to know greatest Storkel events this book is so worth reading any respectable historian definitely needs this book in their library. That’s what also be a great book to put on your child‘s summer reading list because as I said it’s not only great it’s entertaining. I received this book from Book Sirens and the author but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.
July 20, 2022
I'm currently working for Kathy, and one of the perks of working for her is I'm one of the few people who received the ebook version earlier and this book is just very rich!
For all occasional readers out there like me who are fans of science and its history, this is something definitely worth reading.
There is stuff that I didn't don't know prior to reading Kathy's Book and I am just amazed at how detailed and deep it is.
Currently at Chapter 4 and IM LOVING IT!
For all occasional readers out there like me who are fans of science and its history, this is something definitely worth reading.
There is stuff that I didn't don't know prior to reading Kathy's Book and I am just amazed at how detailed and deep it is.
Currently at Chapter 4 and IM LOVING IT!
January 15, 2024
It skipped the math!
This is an interesting account of many of the likewise interesting personalities that brought electricity to the world. Fascinating. But it doesn’t deal with the actual physics, which I was hoping for. Maxwell ain’t here. So, enjoy it, it’s fun. But you won’t learn much about actual electricity.
This is an interesting account of many of the likewise interesting personalities that brought electricity to the world. Fascinating. But it doesn’t deal with the actual physics, which I was hoping for. Maxwell ain’t here. So, enjoy it, it’s fun. But you won’t learn much about actual electricity.
October 19, 2022
Having read the first three pre-released chapters of The Lightning Tamers and having a basic background in electronics and a more extensive background with electrical motors, relays, and other things that can shock, both in theory and practical application, I would have answered the question where electricity comes from with a more elaborate technical answer rather than just “The wall.”
Before reading The Lightning Tamers my answer may have started at the power station’s generation and eventually led up to explaining why the wires on the power poles that supply an entire neighborhood are smaller than the ones leading to an individual house, why AC and not DC, and more of the yada yada yada technical stuff until I was told to shut up. Now, in contrast, my answer will include a more historical perspective thanks to Kathy’s love of physics, her ability to put her enthusiasm exhibited on her YouTube videos into her book, her extensive researching into an electrifying subject matter that included having her hair fly while touching a Van der Graff machine, and her teaching skills shared without a threat of a pop test.
Overall, I love the first three chapters of the ebook and plan on buying a hard cover of The Lightning Tamers in addition to the full Kindle version I just bought. I still prefer flipping pages to scrolling a screen. Both formats are just as informative but with a physical book, no battery charging needed.
Before reading The Lightning Tamers my answer may have started at the power station’s generation and eventually led up to explaining why the wires on the power poles that supply an entire neighborhood are smaller than the ones leading to an individual house, why AC and not DC, and more of the yada yada yada technical stuff until I was told to shut up. Now, in contrast, my answer will include a more historical perspective thanks to Kathy’s love of physics, her ability to put her enthusiasm exhibited on her YouTube videos into her book, her extensive researching into an electrifying subject matter that included having her hair fly while touching a Van der Graff machine, and her teaching skills shared without a threat of a pop test.
Overall, I love the first three chapters of the ebook and plan on buying a hard cover of The Lightning Tamers in addition to the full Kindle version I just bought. I still prefer flipping pages to scrolling a screen. Both formats are just as informative but with a physical book, no battery charging needed.
September 2, 2025
One of the best, if not the best, histories of electricity that I have read. It really covers from the beginnings in the early modern era to just before WWII with interesting stories of the people who made it possible for us to use electricity. The book is focused more on how people did so practically. It covers Steinmetz quite well, which is a good criterion for determining how detailed a history is, and I appreciate that it gives a more measured approach to Westinghouse, Tesla, and Edison (and made me much more aware of Dolivo-Dobrovolsky). For the person interested in science history and especially electricity, this is a rare find: it covers the subject well without getting technical, but also does a good job of explaining the basic ideas without oversimplifying them.
I would have like more on theory, so that Maxwell, Heaviside, Kelvin/Thomson, or Green, among others, would feature more, but that is just because I would have enjoyed seeing Joseph's take. This is not a criticism of the book, which targets how people built up the electrical system more directly, but me wishing there was even more to the book.
I would have like more on theory, so that Maxwell, Heaviside, Kelvin/Thomson, or Green, among others, would feature more, but that is just because I would have enjoyed seeing Joseph's take. This is not a criticism of the book, which targets how people built up the electrical system more directly, but me wishing there was even more to the book.
November 3, 2022
An excellent book. It is not often a non-fiction book is hard for me to put down. This one was.
The Lightning Tamers tells the history of the beginings of electricity, from parlour games with static electricity to the generation and distribution technology we've relied on for 100 years or so.
But it is not just a book about electricity. It is about the people who made discovering and implementing electricity an important or more often a central part of their lives. About their social backgrounds, the financial challenges, the experimentation, the personal relationships, the controversies, and much more.
My working life was in electricity, but I still learnt an enormous amount from this book. It is writen in an easy to read style. The technical aspects are explained in a way suitable for a general readership interested in science.
The book has been extremely well researched with a list of references that would do a PhD thesis proud. It kept my attention well, I was always wanting to read a little more to see what happens next.
The Lightning Tamers tells the history of the beginings of electricity, from parlour games with static electricity to the generation and distribution technology we've relied on for 100 years or so.
But it is not just a book about electricity. It is about the people who made discovering and implementing electricity an important or more often a central part of their lives. About their social backgrounds, the financial challenges, the experimentation, the personal relationships, the controversies, and much more.
My working life was in electricity, but I still learnt an enormous amount from this book. It is writen in an easy to read style. The technical aspects are explained in a way suitable for a general readership interested in science.
The book has been extremely well researched with a list of references that would do a PhD thesis proud. It kept my attention well, I was always wanting to read a little more to see what happens next.
November 16, 2022
This is a well written history of electricity, giving credit to the many people that contributed to its discovery and use. This would be a great book for all interested in STEM.
The personal stories of the different scientists are really interesting. It is sad to learn how many great people have been lost to common knowledge and how a new have been given credit for so much.
Tesla many have been brillant but it also shows that he was crazier than we realized.
Thanks goodreads for this book.
The personal stories of the different scientists are really interesting. It is sad to learn how many great people have been lost to common knowledge and how a new have been given credit for so much.
Tesla many have been brillant but it also shows that he was crazier than we realized.
Thanks goodreads for this book.
February 5, 2023
A powerful story about power.
Electricity powers all we do and the author gives us a well described overview. I’m sure she had difficulty keeping the book as short as it is but one point she did elaborate- the inadequacies of so many other historical works, both in attribution and scope. All too often, and I’ll confirm that, hero worship or deliberate vilification taint many of the characters that brought us out of the candle age and introduced us to the electrically driven world.
Electricity powers all we do and the author gives us a well described overview. I’m sure she had difficulty keeping the book as short as it is but one point she did elaborate- the inadequacies of so many other historical works, both in attribution and scope. All too often, and I’ll confirm that, hero worship or deliberate vilification taint many of the characters that brought us out of the candle age and introduced us to the electrically driven world.
March 6, 2025
I was enjoying the book right up to the point that Edison and Tesla were discussed. The author seems to have a personal bias against those who esteem Nikola Tesla, and that bias has led her to throw out all scholarly writings on the subject and replace them with her own conjecture in an attempt to smear one of the most influential inventors in history. The facts of his contributions were so horribly distorted that it made me question the validity of other sections of the book I had previously enjoyed reading.
July 3, 2025
You should have your university-level E&M knowledge still intact before reading this book. Some reviewers express some delight in the book even without having a background in the physics. I agree that the history is very well presented. But I don't think I could enjoy just the stories of the humans. For example, you may want to educate yourself about three-phase electrical power reading about the history.
We are so blessed that we are bequeathed this wonderful technology, despite all the characters flaws and nonsense of the tamers. (Or maybe because of ?)
We are so blessed that we are bequeathed this wonderful technology, despite all the characters flaws and nonsense of the tamers. (Or maybe because of ?)
January 16, 2023
(Thanks to Book Sirens for providing an ARC of this book)
Brilliant book to start the year. This book made me appreciate all those great scientists and inventors whose names are peppered throughout the EEE degree that I earned almost 20 years ago.
It is always good to understand the back story behind how or why a discovery came about. Kudos to Kathy Joseph for bringing this book out. Looking forward to her next books in the series.
Brilliant book to start the year. This book made me appreciate all those great scientists and inventors whose names are peppered throughout the EEE degree that I earned almost 20 years ago.
It is always good to understand the back story behind how or why a discovery came about. Kudos to Kathy Joseph for bringing this book out. Looking forward to her next books in the series.
August 23, 2022
This book delves into the development of electricity. I enjoyed learning about the different eccentric personalities involved in this process. I also appreciated the diagrams of the different inventions. This book is definitely fascinating, but it can also get bogged down by too many details in places.
I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway. Yay!
I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway. Yay!
May 6, 2023
Excellent book
I thoroughly enjoyed this entertaining and informative book. I, like Kathy, love the history of science and agree that this is the way should be taught in schools.
I thoroughly recommend this book and rarely make book recommendations.
I thoroughly enjoyed this entertaining and informative book. I, like Kathy, love the history of science and agree that this is the way should be taught in schools.
I thoroughly recommend this book and rarely make book recommendations.
Read
May 22, 2023Who really ‘discovered’ electricity? It’s not who you think. In fact, it’s really not who you think on your second, third or fourth guess. And all those tales you heard about Tesla and Edison are - well - just that, mostly tales.
December 22, 2022
Very enjoyable. Puts faces on the people I work with (Ohm, Ampere...). Now I know who really is responsible for our current system [pun intended]. Easy reading - even for younger audiences.
May 24, 2023
Nice history of electricity, however, explanations are not always clear and the author intrudes too much with personal stories.
November 14, 2022
Well researched and plainly written. I learned quite a lot about the history of the discovery of electricity and the invention and development of the science and devices that lead to our modern electrified world.
Highly recommend.
I also highly recommend that you check out her YouTube channel, "Kathy Loves Physics and History". Quite fascinating and worth a look.
Highly recommend.
I also highly recommend that you check out her YouTube channel, "Kathy Loves Physics and History". Quite fascinating and worth a look.
January 16, 2024
The best book about the history of electricity I've read. Still, some material about radio technology and high-voltage DC could have been added.
March 28, 2023
Kathy Joseph has an an excellent history of technology Youtube site. Check it out.
This is her first book and I loved it! It not only covers the people and history, but you get a good understanding of how electricity was controlled (tamed) to run everything.
Hint: Every step involved several smart people. And Tesla was a kook.
Dave
This is her first book and I loved it! It not only covers the people and history, but you get a good understanding of how electricity was controlled (tamed) to run everything.
Hint: Every step involved several smart people. And Tesla was a kook.
Dave
April 23, 2023
The best book on the history of electricity.
A must read for every electrical engineer.
A must read for every electrical engineer.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews