• According to legend, the great Greek inventor and mathematician Archimedes harnessed the energy of the sun to defend his city during a war. He made a huge mirror and concentrated the sun’s rays on the ships. The concentrated heat caused the ships to catch on fire.

• In the sixth century B.C., the Greek scholar Thales of Miletus discovered that a piece of amber rubbed with wool would attract light objects, such as pieces of straw. This is now known as static electricity. The name electricity comes from the Greek word elektron, which means amber.