Who Invented the Safety Lamp?
The safety
lamp was invented by Sir Humphry Davy (1778-1829), an
English scientist, in 1815. He was born and educated in
Cornwall,
England. His lamp prevented the explosion of air containing methane, a
gas common in coal mines. Prior to this invention, many miners lost
their lives
due to explosions in the mines.
Davy surrounded
the lamp's flame with a wire gauze. This cooled the flame
and prevented
it from passing through the gauze to the explosive gases.
Sir Humphry
Davy also discovered that nitrous oxide (laughing gas) could
be used
as an anesthetic. He discovered that materials could be separated into
their elements
by passing an electric current through them.
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