(December 17, 1778 – May 29, 1829)
Humphry Davy was a prolific experimenter who nurtured the greatest of all experimentalists, Michael Faraday. His works would influence William Thompson Kelvin and several up-and-coming scientists who later gained prominence. Like Faraday, he was born into poverty, and had to overcome difficulties before becoming one of 19th century’s top researchers. His interest in chemistry began in 1795, during his apprenticeship to a surgeon who also maintained a pharmacy. He would later take advantage of the voltaic piles (or electric batteries) which Alessandro Volta invented. With them he conducted various electrochemical experiments which enabled him extract alkali metal samples (potassium and sodium), alkaline earth metals (calcium, barium, magnesium and strontium), halogens (chlorine and iodine), as well as aluminium and boron. Meanwhile, his experiments with nitrous oxide (N2O) are well-documented. And the first treatise which detailed the application of chemistry to agriculture is attributed to him. In 1802, he publicly showcased how incandescent light could be produced: by connecting a platinum filament to a high capacity battery. This exhibition, together with Ebenezer Kinnersley’s demonstrations in 1761, became the forerunners of what Joseph Swan and Thomas Edison later developed as electric bulbs. Davy is also remembered for inventing the safety lamp which improved British coal mines. Like Claude Bernard who initially aspired to be a playwright, Humphry Davy appreciated literature, and composed countless poems. He also enjoyed drawing and painting. For his scientific contributions, various items including the London Royal Society’s Davy Medal, and the 34-kilometer-wide Davy lunar crater, are named after him.
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At the age of six, Davy was sent to the grammar school at Penzance. Three years later, his family moved to Varfell, near Ludgvan , and subsequently, in term-time Davy boarded with John Tonkin, his godfather and later his guardian.
Sadly, he didn’t live long.
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Wonderful summary, thank u.
Nice narrative!
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Davy is all about versatility!
God Bless you man. Have a nice day!
Indeed, he was versatile.
Just wanted to express gratitude to you for these remarkable facts you presented on this site
I was curious if you ever considered changing the layout of your site? Its very well written; I love what you’ve got to say. But maybe you should add more colours.
He knows how to do so many things.
Truly versatile.
Davy, for pure ingenuity in experimentation, ideas and logical suggestions together with versatility, deserves to be in the top 20.
Oh, Davy died young.
Well, average lifespan for his era.
Muchos Gracias
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Great talent
All good.
This is well-summarized. I’m happy that nothing was left unsaid.
A typical all-rounder
It’s a shame he didn’t live to see what Faraday became.