A History of the Electric Wind

The electric wind was one of the earliest manifestations of the gaseous discharge to have been discovered and a subject of active investigation among electrical experimenters of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Today, after a period of relative neglect, interest in this phenomenon has been revived. Recent publications consider the practicability of applying the wind mechanism to fluid pumps, high-voltage generators, loudspeakers, thermoelectric converters, and other devices. The historical background of the electric wind from the earliest times is presented here together with a selected bibliography.