Sir Humphrey Davy- Market Jew Street, Penzance, Cornwall
N 50° 07.132 W 005° 32.185
30U E 318681 N 5554927
Sir Humphrey Davy's statue looks down Market Jew Street, which is the main shopping street of the town.
Waymark Code: WM4ZBA
Location: United Kingdom
Date Posted: 10/17/2008
Views: 9
Humphry Davy was born on 17 December 1778 in Penzance.He was apprenticed to a surgeon and aged 19 went to Bristol to study science. In 1800 he published the results of his research in his book " Researches, Chemical and Philosophical". This made him famous and he became a fellow of the Royal Society in 1803 and was awarded its Copley Medal in 1805. In 1815 he received a letter from some Newcastle miners who told of the dangers they faced from methane gas. The gas often filled the mines and could be sparked off by the candles they had in their helmets to light their work. The resulting fires and explosions caused many deaths. Davy designed the Davy safety lamp which separated the flame from the gas. His 'Davy' lamp later became widely used in coal mines. Davy was made a baronet in 1818 and from 1820 - 1827 was president of the Royal Society. He died on 29 May 1829 in Switzerland.
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