Mechanical explanations of gravitation (or kinetic theories of gravitation) are attempts to explain the action of gravity by aid of basic mechanical processes, such as pressure forces caused by pushes, without the use of any action at a distance. These theories were developed from the 16th until the 19th century in connection with the aether. However, such models are no longer regarded as viable theories within the mainstream scientific community and the standard model to describe gravitation without the use of actions at a distance is now general relativity. Modern quantum gravity theories also attempt to describe gravity by more fundamental processes such as particle fields, but they are not based on classical mechanics.
Read more about Mechanical Explanations Of Gravitation: Screening, Vortex, Streams, Static Pressure, Waves, Pulsation, Other Historical Speculations, Recent Theorizing, Secondary Sources
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—Laurence Sterne (1713–1768)