Coloured illustration of Humphry Davy (December 17, 1778 - May 29, 1829), Cornish chemist and inventor best remembered for isolating a series of elements for the first time (potassium, sodium, calcium, strontium, barium, magnesium and boron), as well as discovering the elemental nature of chlorine and iodine. In 1799, he experimented with nitrous oxide and was astonished at how it made him laugh, so he nicknamed it 'laughing gas' and wrote about its potential anaesthetic properties. He also invented the Davy lamp and a very early form of arc lamp. |