Sir Humphry Davy
Sir Humphry Davy
In full:
Sir Humphry Davy, Baronet
Born:
December 17, 1778, Penzance, Cornwall, England
Died:
May 29, 1829, Geneva, Switzerland (aged 50)
Founder:
Zoological Society of London
Awards And Honors:
Copley Medal (1805)
Inventions:
Davy lamp

Sir Humphry Davy (born December 17, 1778, Penzance, Cornwall, England—died May 29, 1829, Geneva, Switzerland) was an English chemist who discovered several chemical elements (including sodium and potassium) and compounds, invented the miner’s safety lamp, and became one of the greatest exponents of the scientific method. Davy was the elder son of middle-class parents who owned an estate in Ludgvan, Cornwall, England. He was educated at the grammar school in nearby Penzance and, in 1793, at Truro. In 1795, a year after the death of his father, Robert, he was apprenticed to a surgeon and apothecary, and he hoped eventually ...(100 of 1453 words)