The word galvanize was coined to honor the 18th Century scientist Luigi Galvani, who found that a spark could make a frog's legs move. This discovery led to further studies in bioelectrogenesis, or what Galvani called "animal electricity," and became the basis for Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (a novel in which a mad scientist attempts to use electricity to galvanize a monster to life). Nowadays, people use this term much more figuratively, like when they describe galvanizing a political movement or even a sports team into action.