Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (Ober-Ramstadt, 1 July 1742 - Göttingen, 24 February 1799) was a German scientist and writer. He was a professor at the University of Göttingen, where, in his youth, he also had Gotthelf Kästner. He led astronomical missions in Hannover and Osnabrück. As a scientist he was the first professor of experimental physics in Germany. During his stays in England (1770, 1774-1775) he frequented the royal family and also all scientific environments. He was against any religious and conservative spirit, in addition to opposing the young people belonging to the Sturm und Drang. In his Aphorisms, posthumously published from 1800 to 1806, one can notice his strong skepticism, satirical, anglophile and with a distinguished irony. The Aphorisms referred to the author as "waste books", using English terminology.