Ányos István Jedlik (1800 – 1895)[a] was a Hungarian[2] inventor, engineer, physicist, and Benedictine priest.

His mother was a member of a Hungarian noble family, while his paternal grandfather was of Slovak origin[3] moving in 1720 from Liptó County to Szimő.

In 1817 he became a Benedictine, and from that time continued his studies at the schools of that order, where he was known by his Latin name Stephanus Anianus.

In 1818-20 he studied humanities at the Lyceum of the Benedictine Order in Győr, then in 1822 he obtained a doctorate in 1822 in Pest, and passed examinations in mathematics, physics, philosophy and history.

After his retirement, he continued working and spent his last years in complete seclusion at the priory in Győr, where he died.

At the grammar school of Győr in 1827, Jedlik started experimenting with electromagnetic rotating devices which he called lightning-magnetic self-rotors, and in 1828 he demonstrated the first device which contained the three main components of practical direct current motors: the stator, rotor, and commutator.

[14] However, Jedlik only reported his invention decades later and the true date of it is uncertain (late December 1827 or early January 1828).

He was ahead of his contemporaries in his scientific work, but he did not speak about his most important invention, his prototype dynamo, until 1856; it was not until 1861 that he mentioned it in writing in a list of inventory of the university.

[16][17] As one side of the coil passes in front of the north pole, crossing the line of force, a current is induced.

As the frame rotates further the current diminishes, then arriving at the front of the south pole it rises again but flows in the opposite direction.

[19] The jury of the World Exhibition of 1873 (chaired by Ernst Werner von Siemens[20]) in Vienna awarded his voltage multiplying condenser of cascade connection with a prize "For Development".

(The cascade connection was another important invention of Ányos Jedlik)[21][22] In 1814, Joseph von Fraunhofer discovered that heated materials emit light in specific colour ranges.

Not satisfied with the instruments available at the time, Jedlik set about designing a new machine, which became a continuous development effort that lasted for three decades.

It took several days to complete a single grid - 12 000 lines - so he used another of his inventions, the electric motor, to drive the machine.

[25] "In the evening, we presented the 22-piece electric battery farm of Jedlik in the quadrangle courtyard of the ancient monastery of Pannonhalma.