Complex sentence: In 1974, Laithwaite, having been invited to give a talk on a subject of his own choosing by the Royal Institution, delivered a presentation about gyroscopes, a subject in which he had only recently become interested.
Split into simpler sentences: In 1974, Laithwaite was invited by the Royal Institution to give a talk on a subject of his own choosing. He decided to lecture about gyroscopes, a subject in which he had only recently become interested.