The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-12-17
TODAY IN HISTORY
The Birthday Of Sir Humphrey Davy.
SATURDAY. DECEMBER


Today is the birthday Of Sir Hum
phrey Dayy. IN 1I7S, liz Penzance lis
father was wood carver, but uhap's
TO support his family at that trade he
operated farm two miles out OF rem
zance. The father diod when HUM
phrcy was 10 years old, and from TINS
Last Of tho Carvcrs. as ths II,.a IenZaneo
skiliful use of his hands and an inNen-
tive mind.
When Humphrey was ~ he began 10
study chemistry and tried to work out
results from experiments that oiten re-
suited in unexpected explosions, These
kept his family In n state oi Anxiety as
to what might happen TO them all, TOT
| these oXporimcnts were carried on In
the garret OF their home He had some
correspondence with DR.. Bcddoes' once
| n professor of chemistry ut Oxford. ana
when a pneumatic institution WAS estab-
! lished AT Bristol he asked Humphrey
Davy 10 be director OF the laboratory,
| new world was open to The youth
| then only 20 years Of age. In the con-
| genial atmosphere OF science. and meet
| Ing such persons MS Soutbey and Cole
ridge no made rapid strides in develop
| II was not long before he discovered
nitrous oxide and with profound JOY
| found Its rapid and pleasant enectS nF
and CoIeridee and many others. and
| demonstrated that it WAS harmless,
When nc was 22 years old he published
his frs, scientific work. chiefly on ms ,
1
received hc was called 70 the Royal in
stitution that had been recently founded
| in London as a lecturer on chemistry
| This institution was largely due TO the
influence and fortune OF Count Rumford
who was not only soldier of fortune.
but a man OF practical scientific kno"i-
| edge well.
| His success at tho institution was re-
| markable and his lectures became not
| only popular but fashionahe thou
sand persons were often present to hear
III. l1N II.-f a
| charming personality.
Trinity college. Dublin, CAV" him a
Ill. u. degree aud in 1872 tho prince re-
| gent knigbtcd hm. A few days after
this he married Mrs. Apprecce, a wealthy
| widow. th" daughter and hciress of
Charles Kerr Of Kelso. Lady p2vy was
q brilliant woman, with ilne mind ana
| their tastes we're similar.
In this year there had been terrible
| explosion in coal mine In the north OF
England and Sir Humphrey WAS asked
| to devise some method To prevent these
awful disasters.
The Davy safety lamp was the result
Of his study and effort. and hc was Gre
atcd baron and received several of tho
Rumford medals for his writings on fire.
Edamp and the qualities of namo. Tho
emperor Of Russia sent him a letter OF
commcndation: he was elected an asso-
cIatc OF the Institute Of France, and he
was made president of the Royal So
cicty OF London.
| He travelled q good deal in the noxt
lew years. IN jldlN nc 1nFl 'i'd dll
had the privilege of intimate Interchange
Of scientific thought AT Ablootsford he
| was the guest Of Sir Walter Scott, and
lcverv~horc princes and intellectual pco-
| pie FASTENED TO do him honor.
| While h- was IN Rome Inc had an at
tack OF paralysis. Lady Davy FASTENED
| 10 him from London and his brother
came from Malta. where he was sta
toned with tho British troops. ie rail-
lied from this and they took him IN
Geneva on the way home. and here he
died very suddenly.
The city OF Geneva honored him by a
burial marked by singular ceremonial OF
respectful homage. simple monument
marks his grave in the old cemetery, and
in Westminster Abbey there is tablet
To his memory. There is also monu-
mcut at Penzance, i'm Cornwall. Eng
land.
December H. 1907. Napoleon issued the
| Milan decree, in 1919 the third and last
embargo act was pn sscd, and in 1884
the first railroad in Ireland was opened.
Today Is the r.hday Of Nathaniel Ma =
con. the Father Of the House Of Repre-
entstivcs' DI6Ij: Deborah Sampson
heroine OF the revolution GI6oD: Eliza
beth Cunning. tho Irish beauty t73Sl:
B"nlam min T.. Butler. secretary of war
under jackson G1A5); John Grecnlast
Whittier. the Quaker poet $500. and
| Alexander Asasslz. scientist rsS5b. II
is tho date rf the death OF Simon Bolivar.
libcrator OF South America Is51D. and