Tellurium was discovered in Transylvania in 1782 by Franz-Joseph Müller von Reichenstein in a mineral containing tellurium and gold. In 1789, another Hungarian scientist, Pál Kitaibel, also discovered the element independently in an ore from Deutsch-Pilsen which had been regarded as argentiferous molybdenite. In 1798, it was named by Martin Heinrich Klaproth who earlier isolated it from the mineral calaverite.
O Telúrio foi descoberto foi descoberto por Franz-Joseph Müller von Reichenstein, num mineral contendo Telúrio e ouro, em 1782, na Transilvânia, então Hungria. Em 1789, outro cientista húngaro, Pál Kitaibel, descobriu o elemento de forma independente, num minério oriundo de Deutsch-Pilsen, tido como molibdenite argentífero. Em 1798, Martin Heinrich Klaproth deu-lhe o nome, depois de isolá-lo, a partir da calaverite.