Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1.07.1742 — 24.02.1799) was a German experimental physicist. He was born in Ober-Ramstadt. He studied at the University of Göttingen, where he was professor from 1769.
His research was in the field of electricity and magnetism. He discovered the figures named after him (Lichtenberg figures). He introduced the use of electrical powder and discovered (1777) the basic processes of xerography. He introduced (1778) the terms “positive and negative electricity” and the signs + and -. His work also concerned mathematics, meteorology and geodesy. He is known as a man of letters, especially for his aphorisms.
A member of the St Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1795) and a Fellow of the Royal Society (1793).