The capacitors chronicle

in 1675

Newton studied the electrostatic attraction of glass.

in 1735

Observation from Gray on increasing electric shock by a waterfilled glass bowl.

in 1745

Ewald Georg von Kleist, a canon in Camin (Pomeranin) got a strong electrical shock during experiments with waterfilled bottles when he held it with wet hand and learned the amplification of this assembly.

in 1746

In Leyden Cunaeus experimented with his "gain-bottle" (a bottle inside and outside glazed with metal. (well known as bottle of Leyden)). Benjamin Franklin invented the after him named "Franklin Board".

in 1762

Wilcke describes the "Electrophor" for storing electrostatic charges.

in 1773

Cavendish investigates the influence on the medium capacitance of a capacitor.

in 1795

Volta uses a capacitance change and an electroscope for detection of small charges. He uses the word "capacitor" at first time.

in 1837

Faraday studied on the dielectrical polarization and created the definition dielectricum" in order to describe the medium between the both plates of a capacitor.

in 1847

R. Kohlrausch published in "Poggendorfs  Annalen" studies about the first continuous changeable capacitor. It was a straight-line-capacitance capacitor with air-dielectricum and variable distance. Today it is known as Kohlrausch-capacitor.

in 1853

W. Thomson published his theory about the discharging of a capacitor.

in 1854

R. Kohlrausch investigated the "electrical residue".

in 1855

Weathstone monitored a polarization effect at aluminum in electrolytes.

in 1872

Ludwig Boltzmann published measurements of dielectric constants.

in 1875

Ducretet found out that aluminum in an electrolytic cell with acidulated water as  electrolyte creates an insulated surface which blocks the current in one direction.

in 1881

Cl. Maxwell describes for the first time a guard- ring capacitor in his publication "Treatise on Electronicity and Magnetism".

in 1892

Within two British patent-specifications attention is invited to the practicability of  electrolyte capacitors.

in 1896

A German patent was given for an electrolytic capacitor with aluminum electrodes and alcaline or neutral electrolytes.

in 1904

Adolf Koepsel reports about variable air capacitors. In the "Physikalische Zeitschrift" was published a dissertation from F. Harms about a standard air capacitors with fixed standard capacitance. Gerdien describes an adjustable cylinder capacitor.

in 1909

E. Giebe describes in the "Zeitschrift für Instrumentenkunde" standard air capacitors which later on were known as standard of Physikalisch-Technische Reichsanstallt.

in 1916

In portable communication-equipments layer-capacitors  with mica or glass as dielectricum were common.

in 1919

Richard Jahre founded his company and begun with the professional production of mica capacitors.