Humphry Davy

Sir Humphry Davy, 1st Baronet,

1778 – 1829

Humphry Davy was born on December 17, 1778, in Penzance, Cornwall. He was the son of a woodcarver and was educated at Truro Grammar School. Davy showed an early interest in science and chemistry and received a scholarship to attend Pembroke College, Oxford. However, he did not complete his degree and instead began working as an assistant to a surgeon in Bristol.

In 1799, Davy was appointed to the Royal Institution in London as an assistant chemist. He quickly made a name for himself as a brilliant and innovative scientist, conducting a series of experiments on the properties of various chemicals.

He is best known for his work on the nature of electricity and for discovering several new elements, including sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium.

Davy's work had a major impact on the field of chemistry and he was widely recognized for his contributions. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1803 and was later knighted for his scientific achievements. Davy died on May 29, 1829, at the age of 50.

Portrait of Sir Humphry Davy, 1st Baronet, FRS (1778 – 1829), chemist and physicist. Credit: Wellcome Collection. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)