In 1774, Joseph Priestley, an English chemist and clergyman, made a significant discovery by exposing mercuric oxide to sunlight concentrated by a magnifying glass. The result was a gas that made candles brighter and allowed mice to live longer in a closed box containing the gas compared to common air. Priestley named the gas “dephlogisticated air” based on the phlogiston theory, but he is credited as the discoverer because he was the first to publish his findings.