Humphry Davy

Showman electrochemist who pried six elements loose with the battery and lit safe lamps for miners.

Core Principles & Analysis

• Using giant voltaic piles he isolated potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, barium, and strontium.
• His 1815 safety lamp let miners work amid firedamp without igniting it.
• Asked to name his greatest discovery, he reportedly answered: Michael Faraday.

Specifications & Metrics

• ERA: 1778 – 1829