Who was william gilbert and were his main discoveries?
William Gilbert (1544-1603) was a doctor to the English Queen Elizabeth I. In 1600, he wrote about what we now know as the forces of magnetism and electricity. The book was called ‘De Magnete’ or ‘On the Magnet.’ He was the very first person to use the word ‘electric’ and invented a machine called a ‘versssorium.’ This was simply a finely balanced piece of light wood on an upright rod. When some objects such as paper were rubbed, the versorium pointer swung toward the paper. He called these attracting substances ‘electrics.’ Those that did not attract the pointer were called ‘nonelectrics.’ You can see how important these discoveries were as they were the first to investigate electricity (and magnetism).
