12 Lightning-Inspired Inventions That Changed Human History

LumenHarbor Updated: 2025-07-15

9. The Electric Motor: Powering the Industrial World

Although not specifically designed to replicate lightning, the development of the electric motor was much shaped by the increasing knowledge of electricity resulting from lightning investigations. Inspired by the electrical character of lightning, experiments revealed the fundamental ideas of electromagnetism—necessary for the operation of electric motors.
Conversion of electrical energy into mechanical energy by electric motors has transformed daily life and industry. Originally developed in the early 19th century, electric motors have grown somewhat common and run everything from large industrial gear to little home items.
Electric motors propelled the automation revolution in manufacturing, therefore allowing more exact and efficient production methods. Among the many other machines that define modern industry, they run conveyor belts, robotic arms, and numerous more. In transportation, electric motors—which provide cleaner substitutes for combustion engines—have found use in trains, electric cars, and even some aircraft.
The adaptability of electric motors has resulted in their usage in a great spectrum of uses. In medical field, they run life-saving equipment. In industry, they run processing machinery and irrigation systems. From refrigerators to washing machines, they are found in everything in houses, therefore simplifying daily tasks.
From renewable energy to space exploration, the creation of more effective and strong electric motors keeps pushing invention in many spheres. Electric motors have evolved as a basic technology by using the ideas of electricity initially detected in lightning, silently running most of our contemporary society.