Stephen Gray (scientist)

Stephen Gray (* December 1666 in Canterbury; † 7 or February 15, 1736 in London) was an English naturalist.

Life and work

Stephen Gray was born in December 1666 in Canterbury, the son of the dyer Mathias Gray; He was baptized on December 26, 1666. He suggested a no university career, but possibly led studies in London or Greenwich under John Flamsteed through and learned the Latin language. His constant correspondence with Flamsteed is occupied.

In the 1690s and until 1716 he made astrometric observations and conducted quantitative and qualitative investigations of solar and lunar eclipses, sunspots, the planet of Jupiter and much more through.

He became an assistant for the planned Observatory of Trinity College, Cambridge, as well as 1707/8 employee of Trinity College as an assistant to Roger Cotes. From 1715 to 1719 he was assistant to John Theophilus Desaguliers in Westminster. In 1719 he was awarded by operating the Prince of Wales until his death, a pension of the Charterhouse, London.

Gray led since 1708 together with his friend Granville Wheler pioneering experiments on electricity. These included experiments Elektrisierbarkeit of glass tubes that have been electrified by rubbing. At Grays surprise was not just the tubes, but above all they electrified closing corks. Further attempts to transfer static electricity followed, for example, with ever-lengthening hemp cords, at the end of which hung an ivory ball and Gänsefederchen attracted. The cords they called Lines of Communication. To prove that human body conduct electricity, they replace on 8 April 1730 hemp cords by a school boy she hung horizontally on Roßhaarschlingen. Under his outstretched arm, a business card stand was provided with Staniolblättchen. When a charged glass tube it was held at the soles of the feet, the Staniolblättchen flew into his hand.

In 1729 he shared the first one the substances in electrical conductors and non-conductors.

Due to the influence of Isaac Newton, the feuding with Grays friend Flamsteed President of the Royal Society, most of the work Grays were not published until after his death in 1727. 1731 and 1732 Gray was awarded the first two Copleymedaillen. After his death he was probably buried in a mass grave for residents in need of a home.

Writings

• Several Microscopical Observations and Experiments, Made by Mr. Stephen Gray. In: Philosophical Transactions. Volume 19, 1695, pp. 280-287, doi: 10.1098/rstl.1695.0040.
• A Letter from Mr. Stephen Gray, Giving a Further Account of His Water Microscope. In: Philosophical Transactions. Volume 19, 1695, pp. 353-356, doi: 10.1098/rstl.1695.0058.
• A Letter from Mr. Stephen Gray, from Canterbury, May the 12th 1697, Concerning Making Water Subservient to the Viewing Both Near and Distant Objects, with the Description of a Natural Reflecting Microscope. In: Philosophical Transactions. Volume 19, 1695, pp. 539-542, doi: 10.1098/rstl.1695.0092.
• A Letter from Mr. Stephen Gray, Dated Canterbury, Dec. 8 in 1697. Relating Some experiment about making concave specula Nearly Parabolick of a Figure. In: Philosophical Transactions. Volume 19, 1695, pp. 787-790, doi: 10.1098/rstl.1695.0146.
• Part of a Letter from Mr. Stephen Gray, about a Way of Measuring the Heighth of the Mercury in the Barometer More Exactly. In: Philosophical Transactions. Volume 20, 1698, pp. 176-178, doi: 10.1098/rstl.1698.0027.
• Part of a Letter from Mr Gray, Concerning on Unusual Parhelion and Halo. In: Philosophical Transactions. Volume 22, 1700, pp. 535, doi: 10.1098/rstl.1700.0021.
• Part of a Letter from Mr. Stephen Gray to the Publisher, Containing His Observations on the Fossils of Reculver Clisfe, and a New Way of Drawing the Meridian Line, With a Note on This Letter by the Publisher. In: Philosophical Transactions. Volume 22, 1700, pp. 762-764, doi: 10.1098/rstl.1700.0068.
• A Letter from Mr. Stephen Gray, Concerning Drawing the Meridian Line by the Pole Star, and Finding the hour by the Same. In: Philosophical Transactions. Volume 22, 1700, pp. 815-819, doi: 10.1098/rstl.1700.0079.
• Part of Two Letters from Mr Stephen Gray, Concerning the Spots of the Sun, observ'd by Him in June last. In: Philosophical Transactions. Volume 23, 1702, pp. 1502-1504, doi: 10.1098/rstl.1702.0066.
• An Account of Some New Electrical Experiments. By Mr. Stephen Gray. In: Philosophical Transactions. Volume 31, 1720, pp. 104-107, doi: 10.1098/rstl.1720.0025.
• A Letter to Cromwell Mortimer, M. D. Secr. RS Containing Several Experiments Concerning Electricity; By Mr. Stephen Gray. In: Philosophical Transactions. Volume 37, 1731, pp. 18-44, doi: 10.1098/rstl.1731.0005.
• A Letter Concerning the Electricity of Water, from Mr. Stephen Gray to Cromwell Mortimer, MD Secr. R. S. In: . Philosophical Transactions. Volume 37, 1731, pp. 227-260, doi: 10.1098/rstl.1731.0040.
• A Letter from Mr. Stephen Gray to Dr. Mortimer, Secr. RS Containing a Farther Account of His Experiments Concerning Electricity. In: Philosophical Transactions. Volume 37, 1731, pp. 285-291, doi: 10.1098/rstl.1731.0050.
• Two Letters from Mr. Stephen Gray, FRS to C. Mortimer, MD Secr. RS Containing Farther Accounts of His Experiments Concerning Electricity. In: Philosophical Transactions. Volume 37, 1731, pp. 397-407, doi: 10.1098/rstl.1731.0067.
• A Letter from Mr. Stephen Gray, FRS to the Publisher, Containing an Account of the Same Eclipse of the Sun, as Observed by Himself at Norton Court: And at Otterden Place, by Granville Wheler Esq; F. R. S. Both in Kent. In: Philosophical Transactions. Volume 38, 1733, pp. 114-116, doi: 10.1098/rstl.1733.0021.
• Experiments and Observations upon the Light That is Produced by Communicating Electrical Attraction to Animal or Inanimate Bodies, Together with Some of Its Most Surprising Effects; Communicated in a Letter from Mr. Stephen Gray, FRS to Cromwell Mortimer, MDRS Secr. In: Philosophical Transactions. Volume 39, 1735, pp. 16-24, doi: 10.1098/rstl.1735.0006.
• A Letter from Stephen Gray, FRS to Dr. Mortimer, Secr. RS Containing Some Experiments Relating to Electricity. In: Philosophical Transactions. Volume 39, 1735, pp. 166-170, doi: 10.1098/rstl.1735.0028.
• Mr. Stephen Gray, FRS His Last Letter to Granville Wheler, Esq; FRS Concerning the Revolutions Which Pendulous Small Bodies Will, by Electricity, Make Round Larger Ones from West to East as the Planets do Round the Sun. In: Philosophical Transactions. Volume 39, 1735, pp. 220, doi: 10.1098/rstl.1735.0044.
• An Account of Some Electrical Experiments Intended to be Communicated to the Royal Society by Mr. Stephen Gray, FRS Taken from His Mouth by Cromwell Mortimer, MDRS Secr. on Feb. 14, 1735-6. Being the Day He Died before. In: Philosophical Transactions. Volume 39, 1735, pp. 400-403, doi: 10.1098/rstl.1735.0082.

Further Reading

• David H. Clarka, Lesley Murdina: The enigma of Stephen Gray astronomer and scientist ( 1666-1736 ). In: Vistas in Astronomy. Volume 23, Part 4, 1979, pp. 351-404, doi: 10.1016/0083-6656 (79 ) 90018-7.