Priestley,born in to a dissenting family of church, remained a influential religious free thinker throughout his whole life . Priestley initially became a minister and a teacher. He then became interested in electricity and after encouragement from the visiting Benjamin Franklin began experiments on what he considered unanswered questions in the field. Priestley went on to discover 10 new gases including oxygen in 1774 which he called “dephlogisticated air”.

While travelling in Paris he met the French chemist Antoine Lavoisier and told him of his discoveries. Lavoisier went on realize the oxygen’s central importance and gave it its name.

In 1780 in Birmingham he became part of the Lunar Society, that included potter Josiah Wedgwood. Priestley designed a device to produce carbonated water for the first time in an effort to aid against disease.