1544-1603. English scientist and physician to
Elizabeth I and (briefly) James I. He studied
magnetism and static electricity, deducing
that the Earth's magnetic field behaves as if
a bar magnet joined the North and South
poles. His book on magnets, published 1600,
is the first printed scientific book based
wholly on experimentation and observation. He
erroneously thought that the planets were
held in their orbits by magnetic forces.