William Gilbert | Biography & Facts | Britannica

William Gilbert (born May 24, 1544, Colchester, Essex, England—died November 30 [December 10, New Style], 1603, London?) pioneer researcher into magnetism who became the most distinguished man of science in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Educated as a physician, Gilbert settled in London and began to practice in 1573. His principal work, De Magnete, Magneticisque Corporibus, et de Magno Magnete Tellure (1600; On the Loadstone and Magnetic Bodies and on the Great Magnet the Earth), gives a full account of his research on magnetic bodies and electrical attractions. After years of experiments, he concluded that a compass needle points north–south and dips downward because Earth acts as a bar magnet. The first to use the terms electric attraction, electric force, and magnetic pole, he is often considered the father of electrical studies. In 1601 Gilbert was appointed physician to Queen Elizabeth I, and upon her death in 1603 was appointed physician to King James I. However,

William Gilbert (born May 24, 1544, Colchester, Essex, England—died November 30 [December 10, New Style], 1603, London?) pioneer researcher into magnetism who became the most distinguished man of science in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Educated as a physician, Gilbert settled in London and began to practice in 1573. His principal work, De Magnete, Magneticisque Corporibus, et de Magno Magnete Tellure (1600; On the Loadstone and Magnetic Bodies and on the Great Magnet the Earth), gives a full account of his research on magnetic bodies and electrical attractions. After years of