In the 19th century, Maxwell figured out that you can't explain electromagnetic phenomena in terms of the existing fundamentals — space, time, mass, Newton's laws — so he postulated fundamental laws of electromagnetism and postulated electric charge as a fundamental element that those laws govern.
U 19. stoljeću, Maxwell je otkrio da ne možete objasniti  elektromagnetski fenomen uz pomoć postojećih osnova — prostor, vrijeme, masa, Newtonovi zakoni — tako da je postavio temeljne zakone elektromagnetizma i utvrdio električni napon kao temeljni element kojim vladaju ti zakoni.