Which electrical discoveries did Joseph Priestley make through his experiments?

Joseph Priestley made several significant contributions to the field of electricity through his experimental work, which he documented in his 1767 publication, The History and Present State of Electricity, with Original Experiments.

His key electrical discoveries include:

• Inverse Square Law: He anticipated the inverse square law of electrical attraction.1
• Electrical Conductivity: He discovered that charcoal is a conductor of electricity.1
• Chemical Relationship: He observed the relationship between electricity and chemical change.1

Priestley’s approach to these experiments was heavily influenced by his belief that scientific progress relies on the accumulation of observable facts rather than theoretical hypotheses, a philosophy he shared with Benjamin Franklin. His work in this field earned him election to the Royal Society in 1766.1