Henry Wilde (engineer) facts for kids

Henry Wilde (born 1833, died 1919) was a rich inventor from Manchester, England. He used his money to follow his passion for electrical engineering.

Wilde invented a special type of dynamo, which is a machine that makes electricity. He called it the "self-energising dynamo." Another inventor, Werner von Siemens, also discovered this idea around the same time. However, Henry Wilde was the first to share his discovery with the public. His important paper was presented to the Royal Society by Michael Faraday in 1866.

Wilde's self-energising dynamo was very powerful. Older dynamos used permanent magnets. But Wilde's machine used electro-magnets instead. This change made his dynamo much stronger. People were amazed by his invention. Wilde even liked to show off its power. For example, his machine could make thick iron bars melt!

Supporting Science and Education

Henry Wilde was very generous and wanted to help science grow. He joined the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society in 1859 and later became its President from 1894 to 1896. He gave a lot of money and gifts to support scientific research and education, including:

• The Wilde Memorial Lecture at the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society.
• An annual prize for the Acedémie des Sciences (a science academy in Paris).
• A large gift to help electrical engineers through their Benevolent Fund.
• Funding for a Readership (a teaching position) at Oxford University.
• Money for a Scholarship at Oxford University, helping students.
• Support for a Lectureship (another teaching position) at Oxford University, known as the Halley Lectures.
• He gave two of his dynamos to the Clarendon Laboratory in 1888.

When he passed away, he left all his remaining money to Oxford University.

How Dynamos Were Used

Henry Wilde's dynamo was first used to create powerful searchlights for the Royal Navy. These bright lights helped ships see far away, especially at night. His dynamo was also very important for electro-plating. This process uses electricity to put a thin layer of metal onto another object.

Disputes and Awards

Henry Wilde was very keen to prove that he was the first to invent the dynamo. He even argued that the Siemens brothers didn't come up with the name "dynamo." Wilde believed that Golding Bird had used the name first.

Wilde often got into legal arguments. When the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) wanted to give him their highest award, the Albert Medal, he wasn't happy. He sent them a letter through his lawyer. He complained that they weren't saying he was the only inventor of the dynamo. Even so, the RSA still gave him the award in 1900.

Wilde's Copper Plating Method

In 1875, Henry Wilde patented a special way to copper-plate printing rollers. This method is called Wilde's process. It uses a dynamo to create the electricity needed for plating. The same power source also spins the roller being plated or stirs the liquid (called electrolyte). This helps make sure the copper layer is perfectly even. An even layer of copper is very important for good printing.

The Albert Medal

When Henry Wilde received the Albert Medal from the Royal Society of Arts in 1900, the award stated:

for the discovery and practical demonstration of the indefinite increase of the magnetic and electric forces from quantities indefinitely small, a discovery now used in all dynamo machines; and for its application to the production of the electric search light and to the electro-deposition of metals from their solution.

This means he was honored for discovering how to greatly increase magnetic and electric power. This idea is now used in all dynamo machines. He was also recognized for using his invention to create electric searchlights and for plating metals with electricity.