Abstract: Joseph Priestley was an iconic figure in the history of science for being the first to discover and isolate oxygen. He discovered a series of new gases such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, etc., and researched the properties of these gases and invented “soda water”. Although he made many original achievements in the fields of electricity and gas chemistry, he insisted on defending the phlogiston theory, which doomed him to fail to become a leader of the chemical revolution. He was suppressed for his support for the North American independence movement and the French Revolution. Therefore, he was forced to leave for America. His radical political beliefs and conservative scientific theories made his life colourful, turbulent and tinged with pathos.

Key Words: Oxygen; Phlogiston theory; Science; Politics