STEPHEN GRAY: BIOGRAPHY AND CONTRIBUTIONS - SCIENCE - 2026

Stephen Gray was an English astronomer, best known for his contributions to the field of electricity. He was the first scientist to officially experiment with electrical conduction systems, the fundamental basis for the use of energy in today's societies.

Until his important discovery in 1729, he had devoted his scientific career to investigating how electric charges worked, particularly in regard to statics; how the static and charges occurred as a result of this same phenomenon worked.

Insulated electrical conductor

He was the first scientific author to identify isolation and driving as separate concepts. In addition, their contributions also contributed significantly to the use of remote energy, which is known today as electrostatics.

Biography

Stephen Gray was born on December 26, 1666 in the city of Canterbury, England. His relatives worked mainly as carpenters and painters.

In fact, he himself learned the art of painting from his father and practiced in this area professionally, apart from his development in the field of science.

Since he was little he was interested in natural sciences and particularly in astronomy. Lacking money to provide himself an education, he educated himself in this area of ​​science.

He achieved this thanks to his friends with great economic capacity, as they had access to the best scientific texts and instruments.

One of his best friends was John Flamsteed, who was one of Isaac Newton's main scientific rivals. It is because of this friendship with Flamsteed that Newton is thought to have blocked several of his works from being published.

His friendship with Flamsteed developed while working with him on the development of a map of the stars; Gray is believed to have performed this work for no monetary gain.

Although most of his astronomical contributions did not bring him financial benefits, he gained the trust and friendship of his colleagues.

Life in the 1700s

His interest in electricity was first documented when he was almost 50 years old, in a letter he wrote to Hans Sloane. In this, he mentioned the use of feathers to detect the conduction of electricity.

His fascination with how electricity was generated by friction was easy to see. Thanks to this, he realized the close relationship that electrical charges and light have.

Despite having made countless contributions to electrical investigations, he received no money in return and found himself in a rather precarious situation.

In fact, Flamsteed advocated for him to be included in the Charterhouse Boardinghouse, and that is how he lived most of his days (even as a scientist).

After a life dedicated to astronomy and electricity, Stephen Gray died destitute on February 7, 1736, seven years after being admitted to the Royal Society of Science in England.

Contributions

Methodology

For most of his experiments he used a glass tube, which gained an electrical charge when rubbed by a hand or dry paper.

These tubes were ideal for his experiments, as they were easily accessible and inexpensive, unlike other devices used at the time.

Discoveries about driving

While living in the Charterhouse boarding house, he noticed that one of the screws at the end of one of the tubes used to keep out moisture and dust was loaded.

When touched with a stick, the current was felt from the opposite side, thanks to a small ivory ball that he himself had placed there.

It was through this experiment that Gray discovered that electricity is not simply a static presence, but flows from one side to the other and that the same ivory ball acted similar to a glass tube.

He originally referred to this as an electrical virtue. He also experimented using a thread to prove that the electric current could be carried to the patio of the house where he lived.

This experiment led him to conclude that electric current could flow from one side to the other using an object as an intermediary. In turn, this current was not affected by the laws of gravity.

Isolation

After discovering and creating the first electrical grid in a rudimentary way, he went to visit one of Flamsteed's relatives with greater economic capacity.

At home he experimented with extending the length of the electrical system by several meters, carrying the current through a gallery in the man's mansion.

It was then that he realized the importance of insulating the lead wire, using silk to separate the wire from the wall.

Since silk does not have the ability to conduct electricity, using this tool made Gray understand the principle of isolation for the first time.

After experimenting for a few more days at the home of the Flamsteed relative, he reported his findings to John Desaguilers, a friend of the Royal Society of Science, who coined the terms conductor and insulator.

Electrical induction

After having determined the importance of insulators, Gray developed an experiment by means of which it was possible to electrically charge an object without touching it. This experiment was dubbed the "flying child" and was applauded throughout Europe.

To make it work, he would hang a child suspended in midair using silk ropes and bring his charged glass tube close to him. In doing so, the child's face continued to attract paper, proving that it was conducting electricity satisfactorily.

Through this experiment, Gray finished defining that electrical virtue was highly related to lightning, many years before Benjamin Franklin did.

Also, after Newton's death and with a new leader of the Royal Society in place, Gray was recognized for his discoveries in the field of electricity with two Copley medals. Such medals were awarded to him for this contribution and for his discovery of isolation.

References

1. Electromagnetism: Pioneering efforts, Encyclopaedia Britannica, (nd). Taken from Britannica.com
2. Conduction, Insulation and Electric Current - 1729 - Stephen Gray (1666-1736), Spark Museum, (nd). Taken from sparkmuseum.com
3. Gray, Stephen; Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography, 2008. Taken from encyclopedia.com
4. Stephen Gray (Scientist), Wikipedia in English, December 5, 2017. Taken from wikipedia.org
5. Stephen Gray, EcuRed, (nd). Taken from ecured.cu