Contents
Joseph Priestley
Independently isolating oxygen and experimenting with gases
Oxygen · Carbonated water
- Born
- 24 March 1733
- Birthplace
- Birstall
- Died
- 6 February 1804
More people
Joseph Priestley
Joseph Priestley investigated gases while also writing on religion, education and politics. His experimental discoveries outlasted the phlogiston theory through which he interpreted them.
Early life
Yorkshire upbringing
Born into a Dissenting family near Birstall, he spent parts of childhood with relatives after his mother’s death.
Career
- 1768
Political writing
Published an essay on the principles of government.
- 1774
Oxygen experiment
Isolated the gas by heating mercuric oxide.
- 1791
Birmingham riots
A mob destroyed his home, leading him to leave the city.
Contributions
Oxygen
Made an independent discovery of the gas.
Carbonated water
Developed a method for impregnating water with gas.
Beyond work
Religious life
A Unitarian thinker, he argued for toleration and equal rights for religious Dissenters and later settled in the United States.
Sources & photo credit
Biography and career ↗Biographical references ↗Additional biographical or achievement source ↗Original photograph. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
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Photo: Artistic portrait; James Sharples. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.