This coming March 24th, we will celebrate the 293rd year since the birth of this magnificent person, known by the name of Joseph Priestley, who has contributed so much to our civilization. He was born to a family of rather ordinary means in Birstall, West Yorkshire, England, in 1733.
Actually, at the time he was born, the Julian calendar was in use in England, and he was born on March 13, 1732. But when England switched to the Gregorian calendar and also started of the new year to January 1st, his birth date was changed to reflect the date we celebrate now.
He would go on to make significant contributions in many diverse fields. He is viewed by some today as the conscience of our modern way of thinking. We have extolled his many contributions to humanity in the pages of this blog; should you wish to learn more about him, feel free to browse the many entries about him that we have posted.
Yet, today, for most, he is a relatively unknown figure of history, or perhaps, only known as the person who first isolated the gas we now know as oxygen.
