What did people think about static shocks before electricity was understood?

by Sparkle_Flippyfoot

With the weather getting cold and dry I wondered what many societies thought about getting those little zaps on their hands when they touched metal or other people before electricity was widely understood.

DanKensington

This is one of our more frequently-asked questions, but more can always be said, so if anyone would like to say more, please go ahead! For the meantime, u/hillsonghoods has recently updated their FAQ-linked answer in this thread here with more stuff to read.