Electrical conductance

When he electrified a long glass tube, corks on both ends were electrified despite not having been touched. He tried this with other mediums, like 800ft long twine, and found that "electrical fluid" traveled through some mediums (conductors) better than others (insulators).
 Stephen Gray England 1729 Electrical conductance

When he electrified a long glass tube, corks on both ends were electrified despite not having been touched. He tried this with other mediums, like 800ft long twine, and found that "electrical fluid" traveled through some mediums (conductors) better than others (insulators).