Acknowledged by many as being the father of electricity and magnetism, William Gilbert is probably best known for his work on magnetism and studying the earth’s magnetic forces. Gilbert is credited as one of the first people to use the term “electricity” and was one of the first to find evidence proving Copernicus’s assertion that the earth isn’t a fixed point at the center of the galaxy. Read more about this fascinating and, dare we say, magnetic scientist here:

Life

William Gilbert (also William Gilberd) was born on May 24, 1544 in Colchester, England to father Jerome Gilberd. Gilbert was educated at St. John’s College in Cambridge and went on to receive his medical degree from St. John’s in 1569. After a short stint as the bursar, essentially an accountant, of St. John’s College, William left to practice medicine in London and to travel across the continent.

Career

In 1573, Gilbert was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, a professional organization dedicated to improving the practice of medicine. The RCP helped to create better regulations for doctors and others practicing medicine by creating an accreditation process consisting of thorough examinations. In 1600, William Gilbert was elected President of the College where he continued to dedicate his life to improving medical processes and ensuring doctors were following proper procedures in their practice. A well trusted physician, William served as Elizabeth I’s own physician from 1601 until her death in 1603 and was renewed by James VI and I to continue his work.

Magnetism

Gilbert’s primary and most notable work De Magnete, Magneticisque Corporibus, et de Magno Magnete Tellure or On the Magnet and Magnetic Bodies, and on the Great Magnet the Earth served as a basis for much of the scientific community of that age’s understanding of magnetism. Through his experiments with his terella (a small model, magnetized earth), Gilbert was able to conclude that the earth is magnetic and that this is the reason compasses point north. He was also the first to determine that the earth’s core is iron. Gilbert determined that a perfectly spherical lodestone (a naturally magnetized piece of magnetite) would spin on its axis when aligned with the earth’s poles in the same way the earth revolves in a day. He didn’t realize it at the time, but he was actually calling the bluff of every cosmologist who believed that the earth was the fixed point at the center of the universe, setting the stage for Galileo in 1632 to make the claim that the earth actually revolved around the sun. He also discovered through his experiments that magnets had a quality wherein if one was cut in half, it would result in two new magnets, each with its own north and south poles. He determined this to be an important aspect related to the magnetism of the earth. First used in 1646 by Sir Thomas Browne, the English word “electricity” was derived from the Latin “electricus” meaning “like amber”. The word had been in use since the 13th century but Gilbert was the first to use the word as meaning “like amber in its attractive properties”. William Gilbert’s deductions, while not always correct, helped create a solid foundation for much of our knowledge of magnetism today. Without his tireless work and research, we may not know as much about our earth and its capabilities. Read more on other Magnetic Personalities—including Franz Mesmer and Mary Fairfax Somerville—on our Apex Blog!