William Gilbert

William Gilbert (1544–1603) was a Colchester-born physician and natural philosopher educated at St John's College, Cambridge. He became president of the Royal College of Physicians in 1600 and served as physician to Elizabeth I from 1601, later retained by James I.

His six-volume De Magnete (1600) described experiments with his terrella, a spherical lodestone model, and argued that the Earth itself is a great magnet, explaining why compasses point north. He also argued that the Earth rotates daily. He also studied static electricity from amber, used the word electricus for attractive properties, and invented the versorium, the first electrical instrument.