"Amber, lightning and batteries - the discovery of electricity" is the title of a special exhibition being held by the "Museum of Energy History(s)" in Hanover from 15 June 2010 to 28 February 2011. It is supported by the ERDF project HistEx (Historical Experiments) at the Institute of Physics at the University of Oldenburg. Other lenders are the German Museum in Munich, the German Amber Museum in Ribnitz-Damgarten and the University of Veterinary Medicine Hanover. The exhibition traces the history of electricity back to the beginnings of research and shows how scientists and inventors experimented with electricity centuries ago. On display are glass bottles filled with gold leaves, which were used to store electricity, and batteries in the shape of columns and cups. The inventors conducted electricity via hemp ropes and generated lightning with crank machines. In the exhibition, experimental stations with faithful replicas of the historical experiments and numerous original exhibits bring the often curious beginnings of electricity research to life. The Oldenburg project has contributed replicas of a battery of Leiden bottles by the Dutch natural scientist Pieter van Musschenbroek (1692 - 1761) and inventions by the English natural scientist and experimental physicist Michael Faraday (1791 - 1867), namely an induction ring (the first transformer), a rotator (the first electric motor) and spherical capacitors (measuring apparatus for determining dielectric constants). The exhibition is open Tuesdays to Fridays from 9.00 am to 4.00 pm. Admission is free. The museum offers free guided tours for groups and school classes. Appointments should be made by calling 0511/123116 or -34941. In the photo: Replica of the galvanic battery by Hans Christian Ørsted (1777 to 1851). The Danish physicist and chemist discovered the magnetic effect of electric current with a compass in 1820. More about the exhibition