Joseph+Priestley+09

**//__Joseph Priestley__//**

=Birt​h= Joseph Priestley was born in Yorkshire, England on March 13, 1733 to a very poor family. He had five other siblings. ​Soon after he was born his mother died. Later on he left to live with his Aunt Sarah.



= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =What is this scientist known for?= Priestley is known for his discovery of oxygen. It is beleived that Carl Wilhelm and Antoine Lavoisier had already made the discovery, so Priestley shares the credit. He heated a chemical called red mercuric oxide that produced an "air" that differed significantly from normal air. Soon this "air" was considered as oxygen. The decision for this "air" to be called "oxygen" was made upon Antoine Lavoisier. Not only is Priestley known for his discovery of oxygen, but he is also known for his political theories. Unfortunatley, his political theories had such a strong effect on other people that he ended up escaping to the US in 1791 becuase a group of people burned down his home and church. In addition to his discovery of oxygen and other gases, Priestley studied electricity and optics. = = = = =Occupation= Priestley was occupied as a writer of a few books, a chemist who works with oxygen, clergyman, theorist, and a natural philosopher.

= = =Scientific Work and Career= At first Priestley did experiments to verify other people's discoveries, soon he got inspired to make his own discoveries and tried to verify those by doing experiments. In 1752 Priestley was up on his feet after recovering from a terrible illness and ready to start studying for ministry at Daventry Academy in Northamptonshire. Fo​r most of his adulthood he worked as a teacher or preacher. He also wrote books and articles on politics, theology, history and plenty other subjects. In 1767 Priestley became the minister at Mill Hill Chapel. Priestley wanted to open a school but families said that they would not send their children there. In 1758 Priestley's friends from Daventry helped him gain another position in his work. He was able to move to Nantwitch, Cheshire where he was happier. Soon he was able to successfully establish a school there. = = =Death= Priestley died the morning of February 6, 1804 around the age of 70. He was buried at Riverview Cemetery in Northumberland, Pennsylvania. At the time of his death he was so ill that he could not even write or perform experiments.

=**Extra Facts**=
 * Was the eldest of 6 children
 * Parents were Mary Swift and Jonas Priestley
 * Married Mary Wilkinson on June 23, 1762
 * His daughter, Sarah was born on April 17, 1763. She was named after Priestley's aunt.
 * His son, Joseph junior was born on July 24, 1768.
 * His son, William was born three years after Joseph junior, but on the same day.

=Here is a list of books and peices of work by Joseph Priestley:=
 * The Rudiments of English Grammar (1761)
 * A Chart of Biography (1765)
 * Essay on a Course of Liberal Education for Civil and Active Life (1765)
 * The History and Present State of Electricity (1767)
 * Essay on the First Principles of Government (1768)
 * A New Chart of History (1769)
 * Institutes of Natural and Revealed Religion (1772–74)
 * Experiments and Observations on Different Kinds of Air (1774–77)
 * Disquisitions relating to Matter and Spirit (1777)
 * The Doctrine of Philosophical Necessity Illustrated (1777)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Letters to a Philosophical Unbeliever (1780)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">An History of the Corruptions of Christianity (1782)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Lectures on History and General Policy (1788)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Theological Repository (1770–73, 1784–88)

=Refernces= Carl B. Boyer et all. __//Dictionary of Scientific Biography//__. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1980

Johnson, Daniel. "Joseph Priestley...Discoverer of Oxygen." 2003: p13-14. Student Research Center.Web. 20 September 2009

Wikipedia. "Joseph Priestley." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation Inc. 18 September 2009.Web. 20 September 2009