A team's name represents the characteristics which the members and supporters of the team possess. The Houston Dynamo's name has been earned through the distinctness of their city, their players, and their fans. The Dynamo's name begins, however, with a bit of history: the foundation of the electric generator.
The technical definition for a dynamo is an electric generator that produces a direct current through a commutator, an electrical switch that generates electricity from the force of a rotating rod.
Between 1831 and 1832, Michael Faraday discovered that a potential difference is generated between the ends of an electrical conductor that moves perpendicular to a magnetic field. He then built the first electromagnetic generator, called the Faraday disc, which led scientists to begin producing and perfecting their own generators.
In 1832, Hippolyte Pixii, a French instrument maker, created the first dynamoelectric generator, or dynamo for short, based on Michael Faraday's principles. The dynamo was the first step in experimentation that led to more complex electrical devices such as the electric motor and the alternating-current alternator. It soon became the cornerstone for the use of electricity in industry. The dynamo was later patented by German inventor Werner von Siemens.
Houston ties in because the city is known as one of the energy capitals of the world, with its abundance of oil and natural gas. The Dynamo name comes from Houston's worldwide recognition of energy and the dynamo's reputation for being the foundation of electrical industry.
Like the technical definition of a dynamo, the Houston Dynamo are the foundation for Major League Soccer in Houston and represent the sport's growth and what it will become in the United States. The team's name seems fitting, connected as it is to Houston's reputation for energy production and the players' hard-working, energetic playing style.
The team itself brings that energy to the city. When the fans in Houston come together for a Dynamo game, the excitement and energetic atmosphere translates to the crowd and then back onto the field, giving the players the boost they need to perform. The spark the crowd gives off at games helps turn the team into a powerful, unbeatable force.
The creation of the dynamo generator marked the beginning of an electrical phenomenon that led to the modern electrical industry. The Dynamo name embodies the mission of Houston's players and fans to spread the sport of soccer, starting right here in Houston, and perhaps become a phenomenon themselves.
