To the origins of fuses

This paper opens the 8^th ICEFA-conference organized by the LAEPT (Laboratoire Arc Electrique et Plasmas Thermiques) and held in Clermont-Fd from 10^th to 12^th September 2007. No doubt that many papers of great interest for science and technology of fuses will be presented within the three-days-meetings. No doubt also that every author and every member will work very conscientiously and very professionally and will make effort for continuing their predecessors\´ endeavour. The Organization Committee thought that it could be appreciable for any member to begin the Conference by a general overview upon origin of the fuse and how it was necessarily related with the general history of electricity. During ICEFA -Conference (International Conference on Electrical Fuses and their Applications) which was hold in Gdansk, in September 2003, Prof. Stokes from University of Sydney introduced his communication as follows : "Modern electric fuses are marvellous devices for protecting life and equipment from potential power of uncontrolled electricity. Since the coming of electricity in the 1870s, they have been in front line for electrical defence. Indeed, it is fair to say that without the virtually fail-safe protection of the electric fuse there would be no modern electrical industry. Electricity would be regarded as far too dangerous for widespread use. " Nowadays, the use of electricity and all the devices it makes move is so familiar for us that we are scarcely able to imagine how much difficult was the labour of the inventors who looked for the nature and the effects of electricity.