It was invented in the 1930s. Did electric stoves even exist then?

They were just starting to become mainstream (though still outnumbered by gas) at the time. The first electric stoves date to the 1880s, and hotplate burners (about the simplest electrical device you can imagine) were likely more common from early days.

http://inventors.about.com/od/ofamousinventions/a/oven.htm

everyone I know uses them on a gas stove

you need the little wire thingy so a small one can sit comfortably on the stove stand

I have an induction stove and I use a diffusion plate like these http://www.frabosk.it/ita/prodotto_scheda.jsp?idprodotto=099 to be able to use my moka brewer. They work for gas stoves as well.

Bialetti make stainless steel versions that are suitable for induction hobs.

Just have to be careful with a gas stove. My first time using mine I put it on high and melted part of the handle. But as long as you keep the flames medium-low it's fine.

As long as your cooking device subclasses AbstractHeatEmitter it should work - I tested two implementations, ElectricBurner and GasBurner and both worked very well.