Lichtenberg Georg Christoph

Lichtenberg, Georg Christoph (1742-99), a physicist and satirical writer, was born at Darmstadt, and held chairs of Physics at Gottingen from 1770 till his death. He described in two memoirs on electricity what are called the "Lichtenberg figures" (q.v.), and partly edited from 1780 to 1782 the Gottingen Magazine of Literature and Science. As a satirist he became known as the ridiculer of Lavater and of Voss's views on Greek pronunciation.