Who built the first electromagnet?

The British scientist William Sturgeon developed the first electromagnet in 1825. He wrapped 18 turns of bare copper wire around a piece of iron and connected it to a voltaic battery. When he turned on the battery, the iron immediately became magnetized, and when he turned it off, the magnetism disappeared. This was the first demonstration that an electric current could create a magnetic field. Sturgeon's electromagnet was a major breakthrough in the development of electrical engineering, and it laid the foundation for the development of many important devices, such as the electric motor and the generator.