COOL Science Blog
Vienna Philharmonic New Year Concert & The Davy Lamp
The 2021 New Year concert from Vienna was as fabulous as ever, although very different with regard to the physical audience attendance!
A bit of trivia that science fans may have spotted is that this year's concert program included Carl Zeller's Grubenlichter (Davy Lamps) Waltz
The Davy Lamp was designed as a safety lamp for miners and was invented in 1815 by Sir Humphrey Davy aided his laboratory assistant at the time, Michael Faraday who himself went on to become one of the greatest scientists of the 19th century. The first prototype of the Davy Lamp is kept at the Faraday Museum of the Royal Institution in London.
14th January 2021
Further Information
Sir Humphrey Davy was born in Penzance, Cornwall, England on the 17th December 1778, and died in Geneva, Switzerland on the 29th May 1829
Michael Faraday was born in Newington, Surrey, England on the 22nd September 1791, and died in Hampton Court, Surrey on the 25th August 1867
Of course, as in all history the stories around inventions and discoveries are much more involved and complicated than our brief snippet shows and as always we encourage you to read further.
For example:
Did you know that George Stephenson invented a safety lamp at the same time and a feud developed between him and Sir Humphrey Davy?
Did you know that the relationship between Davy and Faraday was often fraught and even led to accusations of plagiarism? They were very different men in many ways and their stories not only provide insight into the science, but also the society, of their era.
External Websites
- The Vienna Philharmonic have their own website where you can discover more about it’s history and meet the orchestra musicians.
- See the Davy Lamp prototype and learn more about Sir Humphry Davy and Michael Faraday on the Royal Institution’s website.
- The Encyclopædia Britannica has provided a wealth information since it’s foundation in 1768 in Edinburgh, Scotland; and continues to do so on the Britannica website.
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