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Stephen Gray (scientist)
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<p>Stephen Gray (December 1666 – 17 February 1736) was an English <a href="/facts/Dyeing/6I8w1TyN">dyer</a> and <a href="/facts/Astronomer/ronF8j4a">astronomer</a> who was the first to systematically experiment with <a href="/facts/Electrical_conduction/akyCKvMy">electrical conduction</a>. Until his work in 1729 the emphasis had been on the simple generation of <a href="/facts/Static_electricity/tkGDkl7f">static</a> charges and investigations of the static phenomena (electric shocks, plasma glows, etc.). Gray showed that electricity can be conducted through metals and that it appeared on the surfaces of insulators. </p>