i-Oxygen yaqala yafunyanwa ngo-1772 ngu-Carl Wilhelm Scheele. Kwaza kwalandela uJoseph Priestley naye wayifumana kwiminyaka emibini emva koko waza yena wazisasaza kuqala ezi ndaba engekazisasazi yena uScheele. Le nto yenza okokuba abantu bacinge okokuba nguPriestley owayifumana kuqala i-oxygen. Igama elithi oxygen livela kumagama esiGrike: oxus (acid) naku gennan (ukuvelisa). I-Oxygen iza emhlabeni isuka kuzo zonke iindawo zehlabathi kwi-meteorites. Ikwafumaneka nakwii-minerals nakwizityalo ezikhula emhlabeni nakwezinye ii-planethi.