Humphry Davy
Humphry Davy (1778-1829), British chemist. In 1802 he became professor of chemistry at the Royal Institution in London. As the result of experiments in electrolysis he discovered the elements sodium and potassium. In 1812 he was knighted and visited the continent, where he met the scientists Ampere and Humboldt. After his return to England, he invented the miners’ safety lamp, in which the flame was screened to prevent it igniting the dangerous methane gas known as firedamp. He later became president of the Royal Society. Davy also wrote poetry as a means of relaxation from his scientific work.
