A closer look
Imagine an era where the pinnacle of scientific entertainment was watching a room full of monks jump in agonizing unison. In the 1740s, scientists figured out how to store high-voltage static electricity in a glass container called a Leiden jar, lined with metal foil. Naturally, instead of doing something productive, they used it to terrorize people. A French abbot famously connected 700 monks with iron wire and discharged a Leiden jar into the circuit, causing the entire holy choir to spasm simultaneously. It was the world's first capacitor, functioning primarily as an Enlightenment-era taser used for aristocratic parlor tricks.
