The Etymology of Electron
The electron is named after amber. Around 600 BCE, Thales of Miletus observed that rubbing amber (Greek 'ēlektron') against fur made it attract light objects — the first recorded observation of static electricity. In 1600, William Gilbert coined 'electricus' (amber-like) for this property, giving birth to 'electricity.' In 1891, George Johnstone Stoney needed a name for the fundamental unit of electrical charge and returned to the Greek source, coining 'electron.' J. J. Thomson discovered the actual particle in 1897. The result is that every 'electro-' word in modern English — electronic, electrode, electrolyte — descends from the ancient Greek word for fossilised tree resin. The digital age is, etymologically, the amber age.