Stephan Gray

(1666-1736)

It is remarkable that no biographical memoirs

remain of a man to whom electricity lies under
such obligations.
Thomson
Stephen Gray was an important but little-
mentioned researcher of the early
eighteenth century. He made important
contributions in the area of astronomy and
electricity. Among his accomplishments are
precise observations on sunspots, verification of the
transmission of electricity and induction electrification, as well
as the proposition of the existence of conducting and non-
conducting materials of electricity.
He was born in December 1666. The date of birth is
uncertain, but he was baptised on 26th December 1966. We
dont know much about grays personal life. His father was
Mathias Gray who was a cloth-dyer by profession. We know
nothing certain about Stephen's education. The school
conducted at Poor Priests Hospital is a possibility, but there is
no evidence to confirm this. One of his brothers late became
the citys mayor.
His family had a stable trade, considering the era, but at a time
when, to learn, one had to have access to materials, tutors,
and a library, Gray educated himself by having friends with
libraries and a his persistently observant nature.
Gray was known for his flamboyant and eye-catching
demonstrations. He performed an experiment in Charterhouse,
London to show that human body is conductor which came to
be known as The flying boy experiment. The boy was
suspended, by threads of an insulator, silk, in mid-air. He
received the electrical charge when Gray held his feet against a
rotating sulphur ball. After the boy was charged, lightweight
objects (such as gold metal leaf and feathers) were getting
attracted to his hands. When he was discharged, sparks came
out from his fingers. This experiment was perhaps the most
popular and talked-about show of its time.
In another experiment, the Conducting experiment, he used a
150-feet long metal wire to transport charges over long
distances. He showed that charges actually travelled because
the wire at the other end was attracting small objects.
Stephen Gray was a member of the Royal Society , elected on
1733. In 1731 and 1732, he received a major award from
the Royal Society : the Copley Medal (instituted in 1709)- the
highest honor given by the Royal Society for 'outstanding
achievements in research in any branch of science'.
The most important contributions in the field of science were
on the transmission of electricity. This led to him regarded by
many as theFather of Electricity.

Grey died on 7 February, 1736. No monument or portrait is

known is in his recognition. It is unproven that his remains
were returned to Canterbury for burial in All Saints church
where he had been baptised. Gray was never given enough
credit for his work. One of the main reasons cited was his
proximity and close friendship with John Flamsteed- A famous
astronomer of those times and the first director of Greenwich
Observatory. Isaac Newton, the then president of Royal Society
of London, didnt like Flamsteed, so he blocked many of the
Grays papers from being published. Also, his academic advisor
,John Desaguliers was far more famous than Gray, and many
of the discoveries became attached to the Desaguliers' name
by virtue of his flamboyant demonstrations. By the time Gray
started getting little credit, people were interested more in the
spectacular feats by Franklin and others so grays work was
considered trivial and thus, overlooked.
Gray was a remarkable researcher and his experiments
paved the way for later developments in telegraphy and
electricity.

Note: This brief report is in addition to the presentation already

submitted by

Utkarsh Khandelwal (20161018)

Namit Abhishek (201621023)
Manish Kumar (20161012)